Master of Thieves
by Psychochu100
Summary: 4 months after the events of Thieves in Time, the Cooper Gang and Carmelita encounter an intriguing raccoon that is essential to recover Sly back to the present, as well as saving him from a foe they'd never faced before.
1. Prologue

Master of Thieves

(A/N: Hello guys! I'm back with another story for you all; as you can guess, this is a Sly Cooper one. Much like the other stories, this one is stuck in my head for a bit and for good reason too. I'm sincerely curious on the end credit scene at Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, so an idea popped in my head; naturally, it will have Sly and Carmelita moments, as well as a tutorial from the infamous Thievius Raccoonus, but also returning faces as well as new threats, particularly the antagonist, which is another OC. I hope you guys have a good read and if you don't like it, then I apologise if it's not to your liking. Like I mentioned, this story just popped into my head. Anyway, here's the Prologue! ;))

Prologue

It was night-time in the city of Paris, France, but instead of a peaceful night, there was a tumult of screaming, sirens blaring, local police and Interpol officers trying to keep innocents from harm, but what's quite distressing is at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The famous historical wonder of the world had been badly damaged from top to bottom, with a wall of fire barring the sidewalk from the tower and park.

What's also inside is a particular Raccon, who is wearing his traditional thief outfit, but was singed and burnt, even his fur; he looked up and glared venomously at a flying mechanical beast, who had a strong resemblance to Clockwerk. Instead of an owl, it was a draconic being with deep, emissive eyes peering at him back and baring his metallic, yet lethal teeth at him.

Sly gripped his family's cane firmly in anger, before he shouted "There's no way I'm letting you win; you WILL lose!" The draconic being then replied in a deep, menacing, mechanical voice "I have already won… Look around you; can't you see you don't stand a chance against me? With your death, my master will be avenged!" Sly then, with the utmost pain, stood up defiantly and noted "I'm not out just yet…" The draconic being then replied "You will in a few moments… HAHAHAHAHA!"

Despite the damage he had sustained, Sly charged against his foe, though it was fruitless when he was caught in his foe's grip. He then tried to release the grip as his mechanical foe opened his mouth to initiate the coup de grace, when Sly's life flashed before his eyes for the second time.

_(Sly's POV)_

"_My name is Sly Cooper; I was born into a famous clan of international thieves. From the Stone Age, to Feudal Japan, to the Wild West, generation after generation of Coopers wrote down their unique techniques in our most prized possession: The Thievius Raccoonus. I was the son of Connor Cooper and was going to be given the Thievius Raccoonus on my eighth birthday, when tragedy struck…"_

"_I was hiding in my room, when a group called the Fiendish Five assaulted my home; My father tried his best to protect us, but he was ultimately killed along with my mother. They then took the Thievius Racconus in five parts and I became an orphan. It was there that I met my two best friends: Bentley, the brains of our clan; and Murray, the brawn."_

"_We were inseperable ever since, even when we left the orphanage; by the time I was 18, we infiltrated the Police Headquaters and managed to get my file from my future girlfriend and love interest, Carmelita Montoya Fox. After evading her and law enforcement, my gang and I reclaimed the Thievius Raccoonus from Sir Raleigh, Muggshot, Ms. Ruby, the Panda King and Clockwerk."_

"_2 years after I reclaimed the Thievius Raccoonus and avenged my family, we learned that Clockwerk's parts were being exhibited in Cairo, Egypt. Not wanting to repeat my past, the gang and I infiltrated the Cairo Museum, only to find that another group called the Claww Gang took the parts for their own gains."_

"_In the first few heists, me and my gang were assisted by Constable Neyla, unaware of her true intentions; during our second encounter with Rajan, Neyla turned on us and Carmelita onto The Contessa, leaving Bentley alone. Fortunately, Bentley tracked me and Murray down and broke us out, before travelling to Prague and rescued Carmelita, took down The Contessa and reclaimed another Clockwerk part."_

"_After coming to Canada and filching 3 Clockwerk parts from Jean Bison's Iron Horse trains, we were unsuccessful in getting the talons from him and shocked to learn he sold it and our acquired Clockwerk parts to Arpeggio, the leader of the Claww Gang. After a few mishaps, Neyla joined into the Clockwerk frame and became Clock-la, which honestly doesn't sound good. With some help from Carmelita, we finally managed to down Clock-la and destroy her, though Bentley was permanently paralysed from the waist down at a cost. Not only that, but Murray left the team as he felt it was his fault for letting Bentley being paraplegic."_

"_A year later, after a visit from my late father's former partner named McSweeney, me and Bentley were directed to Kaine Island to find the Cooper Vault, but also another former partner of my late father's named Dr. M. Seeing that the way to the Cooper Vault was impenetrable on our own, Bentley and I decided to expand our Gang in order to get to the Cooper Vault."_

"_We then reclaimed Murray back on our team, then hired Murray's Indigenous teacher, The Guru, before we hired an RC specialist named Penelope, who Bentley has fallen for. Although I was reluctant to take him on the team, we hired the Panda King after rescuing is daughter from a forced marriage by General Tsao, who is much worse than Clockwerk on a personal basis. We then hired Dimitri after reclaiming his grandfather's scuba gear and defeating Captain LeFwee… okay, actually, Penelope defeated him in a sword fight."_

"_After that, we returned to Kaine Island and stormed Dr. M's fortress, with timely help from Carmelita. When I reached the heart of the Cooper Vault and did battle with Dr. M, Carmelita came in and Dr. M shot at her with a laser shot, though I took the shot for her. After rendering him unconscious for a bit, I pretended to have Amnesia so I can spend time with Carmelita, but not before leaving the Cooper Vault as it caved in and leaving the spoils to my team."_

"_During my time with Carmelita for a couple of years, I saw some priceless treasures sometimes when we went out, but I opted out for Carmelita's sake. I was surprised when Bentley came by with a jar of cookies, before he informed me that the Thievius Raccoonus was slowly being wiped out from time; seeing my family's timeline is at stake, I rejoined with Bentley and Murray to restore the Cooper Clan's timeline, though not before Carmelita caught on what I was up to."_

"_After our time in Feudal Japan, me and the gang went to the Wild West and freed Tennesse Kid Cooper from Jail by being jailed myself, an action that I still don't like. Shortly after that, we were surprised to find Carmelita is in the Wild West too, though we managed to save her from a runaway stagecoach as she made it even by freeing me, Murray and Bentley, though she was still hot with me."_

"_After winding up in the Stone Age after a train we're on derailed off a damaged bridge and Bentley's quick thinking, Carmelita parted with us temporarily as we discovered the very first Cooper; although we named him Bob since we can't understand his actual name. After helping Bob get back into shape and Carmelita rejoining us, we infiltrated The Grizz's paint factory and, after some bumps, Murray managed to beat the Grizz by himself."_

"_We then time-travelled to Medieval England to restore Sir Galeth Cooper's timeline, although we then discovered that our foe in that time, known as the Black Knight, turned out to be Bentley's girlfriend… well, EX-girlfriend now, Penelope. After we beaten her, with help from Bentley's makeshift exo-suit from the Moat Monster, the gang time-travelled to Arabia to help Saleem Cooper from Ms. Deceibel and her 'fiance', who happens to be the one responsible for destroying my family's timeline, named Lafitte."_

"_During the Heist in Arabia, which requires Carmelita to wear a belly dancer outfit (much to my pleasure), Lafitte betrayed Ms. Deceibel and kidnapped Carmelita onboard his blimp. After returning to the present, while I was trapped alongside Carmelita after trying to break her out, my gang and my ancestors reclaimed their respective canes and freed me and Carmelita, though Lafitte accidentally damaged his Time-Travel machine."_

"_I told the others to go so I can face Lafitte alone, as Carmelita and I apologised to each other, before I beaten Lafitte; he then filched my Paraglider and went away, as I was onboard the blimp, accepting my demise. When I woke up, I was in the time of Ancient Egypt, looking at the sphinx in the distance. At the time, I hoped my gang and Carmelita will eventually find me here, but I'd had never anticpated on an ally I didn't even realise I had…"_


	2. The Protege Arrives

Master of Thieves

Chapter 1: The Protégé Arrives

4 months after Sly's disappearance, a National Bus is entering the city limits of Paris, France; it was still early in the morning, as the sun was still rising from the east. The Bus Driver, a male brown-furred Shepard, said on the P.A. "_Attention passengers, we've just entered the city limits of Paris. The next stop is about 5 minutes away, so those who wants to get off should get ready. Thank you for your attention._"

The bus was packed with passengers, some who are tourists and some who are returning locals; though there was one passenger who's blankly looking out the window, watching the trees passing by. He was a male Raccoon, no more older than 21 years old: he had grey fur with black stripes, has jade green eyes, wore a cream coloured, short sleeved shirt, brown baggy pants, and a pair of brown sneakers with black ankle socks. He was holding in his hands a medical report, which was his reason for coming to Paris in the first place.

He then leaned back into his seat, when the passenger sitting next to him, a female echidna, asked him "Is something troubling you, young man?" The raccoon then shrugged and replied, his voice youthful and soft "Just a family matter, ma'am… it's sort of a personal thing in mind." The female echidna nodded with her lips pursed, when the Bus Driver announced on the P.A. "_Attention passengers, we are reaching the stop at the Information Centre; of those who's disembarking here, please collect your baggage when the bus comes to a complete halt. Thank you._"

The Raccoon let out a sigh, before he said to the female Echidna "This is my stop… I'll wish you luck, ma'am." The female echidna nodded curtly, before replying as the bus slowed down "I wish you good fortune, young man." The Raccoon nodded curtly at the female Echidna with a small smile, before the bus came to a complete stop; he, as well as a few other passengers, got out of their seats and grabbed their baggages before getting off the bus.

The Raccoon is surprised to set foot in the City of Paris for the very first time, as he looked in awe at the surrounding buildings, before he laid eyes on the Information Centre. He then hoisted his Duffel Bag on his shoulder and entered the Centre; he then waited in a queue at the reception desk, before having a good look at the building. A few minutes later, it was finally his turn for an inquiry at the reception desk, when the receptionist, who's a female pink flamingo, asked without averting her eyes on the PC "Welcome to the Parisian Information Centre, what inquiry would you like to ask?"

The raccoon replied "Yeah, I'd like directions to the Police Station, please." The receptionist then ducked under the counter and gave the city map to the raccoon; she then said "If you follow the city map, it'll be about 6 blocks from here in the western direction." The raccoon then replied, with a smile "Thank you, ma'am. This'll certainly come in handy." The receptionist then nodded, when she looked up as the raccoon just turned to the exit; she looked shocked when she noticed the raccoon just exiting the Information Centre, before she reached the phone and dialled emergency services, saying "I'd like to report a suspicious character…"

The raccoon then checked the time as he was walking to the police station, to see that it was 8:45; seeing he didn't have any breakfast yet, he decided to have it in the nearby diner. He then approached the counter and looked at the breakfast meal, before the waitress, a female opossum, asked in a Texan accent "What can I get ya', cutie?" The raccoon ordered some flapjacks just as a few patrol cars sped past the diner, before he took a seat in the corner booth.

Seeing it might take a bit for his order to process, he took out a book about Geography and natural Topography; it was barely 2 minutes before the diner door opened, when a green turtle in an electric wheelchair and a pink hippo with flight goggles, a scarf and a t-shirt entered the diner. The turtle then approached the counter and placed his and the hippo's order as the opossum waitress gave the Raccoon's order, saying with a flirty wink "Here's ya meal, lil cutie-pie…" The raccoon blushed at the remark, before he nodded at the waitress and proceeded to consume his breakfast.

At the counter, after placing their orders, the turtle and hippo went to the booth just next to the Raccoon's. The turtle named Bentley took off his glasses and started to clean them as his hippo friend named Murray said in concern "Any luck, so far Bentley?" Bentley shook his head, before putting his cleaned glasses back on and replied "I'm afraid not… 4 months of non-stop searching and there's still no sign of where and when he came up." Both friends made a depressive sigh, as the raccoon at the next booth just finished his flapjacks.

Bentley then asked Murray as the raccoon wrote his signature on the receipt "How's your boxing matches coming along?" Murray replied as the waitress came to the raccoon's booth "In light of the past 4 months, I've been nothing more than a freaking totem pole against every contender. EVERY. CONTENDER." Bentley smiled and nodded at Murray's news, before he looked down at his feet and pondered; as he did that, the raccoon got up from the seat and thanked the waitress for the order, before he proceeded out of the diner.

Unknown to him, Murray noticed him walking out the Diner and said "Uh… Bentley?" Bentley looked morosely at Murray as the raccoon just went outside, before Murray pointed outside and looked, to their surprise, at the raccoon just passing by the window. When he was out of sight, Bentley turned his head to Murray and said "You don't think…?" Murray then replied "If so, he was being rather uncharacteristic."

Meanwhile, at Interpol's HQ, the raccoon let out a low whistle at the state of the art security on the exterior walls, before he went inside the lobby. He then noticed the reception desk to his immediate right and approached the desk, before he asked "Excuse me, can I make a statement of sorts?" The receptionist, a male shepard, replied in a flat, monotonous voice "Yes we can sir. What statement would you like to make?" The raccoon then said, albeit a little nervous "I'd like to inquire a DNA comparison…" The shepard then stopped typing and looked up in a bored glare, looking at the raccoon's nervous, yet serious face. He then replied "Well alright… Just out of curiosity, who'd you like to make a DNA comparison with?" The raccoon then let out a nervous cough and said "Uh… mine and… Sly Cooper's."

The shepard blinked once, not changing his expression one bit, before inquiring "Alright… what's your name, though? In order to process the DNA comparison, we'd require both individual's names." The raccoon then gave a derisive sigh and replied "O'Brian. Terry O'Brian." The receptionist then nodded, before he said "Alright then… I'll put up this statement with Interpol's Medical Department as soon as possible." Terry nodded at the receptionist, before he left the lobby; the receptionist then said on the phone "Inspector Barkley, I have a curious request that requires your attention, as well as Inspector Fox's ASAP."


	3. The Gang's Resolve

Master of Thieves

Chapter 2: The Gang's Resolve

At the warehouse district, a female Vixen is investigating a possible illegal drug exchange: She wore a red collar with the Interpol logo attached, a purple shirt underneath an Interpol-branded jacket, purple tight pants, and black boots. She then gripped her trusty Shock Pistol in her paws tight, leering her eyes at the door, thinking "_I'm certain this is where the exchange will take place… Just gotta make sure they make the exchange, or they'll be out of there before I can even make an arrest._"

She then silently approached the warehouse door and peered into the small window, witnessing masked thugs wielding semi-auto rifles, with one carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder. Carmelita then shifted her gaze to the other end, witnessing 2 mafia bodyguards, holding briefcases, approaching the thug with the duffel bag. A few moments later, a stout rat with shifty eyes came into view and did some talking with the head thug, before they shook in agreement.

Seeing her cue, Carmelita aimed her shock pistol towards a Fuse Box and shot it, resulting in the electric roller doors slamming shut and the auto skylights closed, rendering visibility inside the warehouse in just a few feet. There was confused pattering, thugs bumping into one another, when Carmelita entered the warehouse through the fire door; when it slammed shut, the thugs pointed their guns at the door, realising that someone caught wind of the deal. Before they even took a step forward, they were immediately immobilised by jolts of lightning, including the mafia bodyguards and client.

Carmelita then stood out of the shadows into a ray of light and called for backup, wearing a triumphant smirk as she did. She then had a call from dispatch, requiring her to return to HQ immediately for a possible lead to Sly's disappearance. Her eyes widened in shock as there's finally a clue as to where and when Sly might've gone to, so she left the warehouse and sped to Interpol.

She then parked her vehicle in her space, before rushing inside the HQ to the Computer Labs. She then formally greeted Inspector Barkley, who gestured her to look at the computer screen; she then assessed the screen and inquired "Inspector Barkley, I hope you don't mind my inquiry, but why is this important to Sly's disappearance?" Inspector Barkley then replied "Firstly, I'm well aware on how close you and Cooper are and I understand on your willingness to take the case; secondly, a curious individual came in the lobby earlier today, which connects to an eyewitness account at the Information Centre just this morning."

Her interest peaked, she assessed the computer screen more closely, before her eyes widened at the results: It was a partial DNA match, with only 12% to a perfect match. She then took a colourised printed copy and went to the door, when Barkley shouted "Inspector! Where do you think you're bolting off to?" Carmelita then replied in a hurry "Cooper Gang!" She then rushed out of the computer lab, much to Barkley's mixed expression of annoyance and amusement, muttering under his breath "Of course…"

Meanwhile, in the downtown area, Terry is looking for directions to a place that accepts tenants, when he sees the same female echidna walking along the sidewalk, with her purse on her shoulder and using her cane. Terry waved at the echidna with a smile, who waved at him back, when her purse was snatched by a thief; as she cried at the thief "Thief! Give the old lady her purse back!"

The thief sprinted through the crowd, who was suddenly tackled onto the ground and the purse was pried from his paws, before Terry said after restraining him "Dumb move, pal…" He then hoisted the thief onto his feet, before he gave the purse back to the echidna, who praised him for his kindness. He then passed the thief to an officer, who handcuffed the thief, before he turned his head to thank Terry, but was surprised to see him gone so suddenly.

A few blocks away, Terry stopped and looked around, realising he's in a partly run-down part of the city; he looked around the block, until he saw a sweet looking van, unaware it was the Cooper Van itself. Terry then saw a sign on the window next to the van that said '_Tenant Wanted; Rent will be discussed personally._"

Terry then peered into the window and didn't hear nor see any movement inside; he then reached into his duffel bag and got out a diary and a pen, before he wrote down '_Looking for place to stay; Will come back by 9. T-_' He then ripped and folded the paper containing the note, before slipping it in the window. He then checked his watch and saw it was 1pm already; seeing he's got plenty of time left, he decided to take in the sights of the city.

Elsewhere, at the Arc de Triomphe, Carmelita was waiting on the bench impatiently for Bentley and Murray after calling them on her Binocucom to meet her here ASAP, when she finally saw them emerging from a group of tourists. Carmelita leaned back her head and sighed in relief, before she scolded "You took your time, you guys! I've got something urgent to share with you!" Murray made a neutral shrug, before he and Bentley approached her; Bentley then asked Carmelita "May I ask, what kind of urgent information you got that you can't discuss on the Binocucuom?"

Carmelita then grabbed the printed DNA Comparison File from her pocket and gave it to Bentley; with a brow raised, Bentley took the paper from Carmelita and looked at the page, before his other brow raised in astonishment. Bentley then said "Is this…?" Carmelita replied "I couldn't believe it either... I mean, there was a suspicion person report at the information centre just this morning with the witness describing the suspect that looks like Sly, yet he requested at HQ a DNA comparison." Murray then looked at the printed DNA comparison, before he said "We saw him just exiting the Diner, but we initially thought he was Sly."

Carmelita looked up at the two, before she gives it a good think over; she then replied "Is there a record in the book consisting of the probability of relatives from one of his ancestors?" Bentley drummed his fingers on his knees: he looked through the Thievius Raccoonus in the past four months, in case there was an inconsistent page that'll lead to where Sly has ended up, but he didn't pay attention to the relatives. Bentley then said finally "We should have a look…" Carmelita and Murray nodded, before they went to the Hideout, just missing Terry as he was arriving at the Arc de Triomphe to sightsee.

Minutes later, Bentley unlocked the door to the hideout, when he saw a slip of paper land on his lap by the sudden draft. Murray noticed it too and asked "Bentley… You don't think…?" Bentley unfolded the slip and read the note, before replied with his brows widened "Uh, definitely." Carmelita then took the note from Bentley's grip and read the note, when Bentley hurried to the Cooper Vault and grabbed the Thievius Raccoonus from the pedastel; he then wheeled hurriedly to the desk and flipped through the pages until he came upon Thaddeus Cooper's portion in the book.

Carmelita then said after re-reading Terry's note for the 5th time "Even if there isn't any mention of a splintered relative from his ancestors, I don't think he's planning of leaving Paris anytime soon." Bentley then replied in a flat tone "That's because there's a page missing… Look." Carmelita and Murray looked at the book and saw a straight cut near the book's spine; Murray and Bentley still recalls helping Sly recovering the pages from the book, but the way this page was cut, it was definitely not made by any former member of the Fiendish Five. Carmelita then noted "We should find him… if there's even the slightest chance he's a family member of Sly's, then we will need his help." Murray then replied "That's great, Carmelita, but the city itself is large, so he could be anywhere; we don't even know what he's doing right now."

Back at the diner, Terry swung by and greeted the waitress, who said with her tail swaying slowly in interest "Hi, cutiepie. I was thinking about you…" Terry bared his teeth with a smile and chuckled softly, before he replied "That's rather flattering…" The Opossum Waitress made an endearing leer at Terry, before she asked "So, what can I get ya, honey?" Terry then ordered a Chicken and Mayo sandwich, much to the Waitress' delight; she then gestured him to the same booth he was in earlier, before she retreated to the kitchen.

No sooner when he sat down, the waitress came back, wearing her casual clothes: She wore an olive plaid shirt over a white singlet, a blue/pink checkered skirt, black stocking and a pair of shiny black strap shoes with a pair of white ankle socks. She held in her left paw a Chicken and Mayo Sandwich in a triangular plastic container, before she sat in the opposing seat and gave one half of the sandwich to Terry. Terry was blushing when he saw the waitress' casual clothing, before he blankly took the sandwich piece while still blushing, much to the waitress' delight. Terry then made a weak smile, before they ate their sandwich pieces as the waitress looked at him in desire.

When Terry made another bite in the sandwich, the waitress asked "So, you came here to Paris as a tourist?" Terry shook his head as he chewed on his bite; the waitress then asked again "Or a vacation? Honestly, the City of Love is one of the best places to take one." Again, Terry shook his head, before he swallowed his bite; the waitress then asked, tilting her head with a curious look "Well, if neither option is the reason you're here, then what is?" Terry then replied, seeing that the waitress is interested about him "Well… I'm looking to find my distant cousin… though considering what animal I am, you can hazard a guess." The waitress gave it a good thought, before she replied "Unless I'm mistaken… it'd be a… Sly Cooper?"

Terry nodded at the waitress, although wondered if she'd be disgusted if she knows he's a relative to the famous Cooper Clan; to his surprise, the waitress flexed her fingers and looked at Terry with increased interest and added "Well, that's mighty interesting, cutie-pie." Terry then felt relieved from the response, before he muttered "It's Terry…" The waitress then inquired "I beg your pardon?" Terry then repeated a little louder "My name… My name is Terry." The waitress widened her eyes a little, before they calmed and she replied "That's a mighty fine name. Mine's Pearl."

She then held her palm out, before Terry gently shook her palm in a genuine smile; Pearl blushed when she felt Terry's palm shaking hers gently. They then finished their sandwiches, glancing at one another with each bite, before Pearl asked "So, what you planning to do this evening?" Terry then replied "Well, I haven't got a clue… I suppose I can go to a club or something, have a good time…" Pearl gave it a thought, before she replied in a cunning smile "I know just the place…"


	4. Brawling in the Club

Master of Thieves

Chapter 3: Brawling in the Club

At 7pm, in the Isolation Cells beneath Interpol HQ, various inmates leered venomously at the passing guards, wishing they could get out and make a riot. In one of the isolation cells, a large, massively armed bulldog named Muggshot let out a low, deadly growl ever since he was jailed by Inspector Fox and the Cooper Gang. He kept thinking of breaking out and going after Sly Cooper personally, when a slip of paper came through the crack underneath the reinforced steel door. Brow raised, Muggshot unfolded the slip of paper and it said '_Dimitri's Nightclub; Possible Cooper's there. Exit when you heard the Fire Drill go off. An Ally~_'

Muggshot felt such anger coursing through him, he broke off his bindings and snorted like a rhino ticked off; when the Fire Drill came on, he broke the door off like it was nothing and charged through the guards up to the ground level. He then smashed through the brick wall and rampaged through Paris, with one goal in mind: Take down Sly Cooper. As he set off, Inspector Barkley sent a call to the one officer that singlehandedly took down Muggshot: Carmelita.

Meanwhile, at the venue outside Dimitri's Nightclub, Terry and Pearl were anxious to get in: Terry wore a white long-sleeved shirt underneath a brown sleeveless vest, black jeans, black ankle sock and a pair of shiny black moccasins; Pearl wore white/yellow two tone dress underneath a white singlet, black leggings, purple ankle socks and a pair of shiny black heels. Terry was rubbing his arm nervously, as he's never been to a nightclub before, when Pearl took his hand and held it softly; Terry then looked up at Pearl's genuine expression and felt more at ease, when the bouncer said "Next!"

Terry made a nervous gulp, before he and Pearl approached the bouncer; the bouncer then checked down the list while assessing the couple, before saying "I don't recognize either of ya; ye newcomers or locals?" Terry then replied after making a difficult swallow "Uh, I'm new here, yeah… and so is my girlfriend here. We were just hoping to have a good time here in the club… provided there's space inside." The Bouncer took a piercing stare into Terry's eyes, before he replied "One moment, I've got to ask the boss… *presses finger on earpiece* Sir, we've got a couple of young'uns here, wanting to come inside."

Terry made a sweat drop, nervous that he and Pearl won't be accepted inside, when the Bouncer replied "Understood, sir. *turns attention to Terry* Right, you two are good to come in. 'ave a nice time, you lovebirds." Terry and Pearl made a smile at the Bodyguard, before they entered the nightclub's lobby. Pearl then made a soft chortle and asked "Girlfriend? Are you serious?" Terry then rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, before replying "Sorry… I was kinda freaking out." Pearl then made a sly smile, before saying "It's okay… I was kinda nervous of not being let in the club, anyway."

Terry felt partly relieved, but still feels bad for unintentionally playing with Pearl's feelings. Pearl clasped Terry's paw, bringing him out of his thoughts; he then looked up at Pearl's face and saw her looking at him endearingly. Terry then let out an awkward smile, which Pearl smiled sweetly at him with her eyes closed, before saying "C'mon, let's head onto the floor." Terry then nodded at Pearl, before they proceeded into the main room, welcomed by loud music and youthful dancers; they then glanced at each other, before they went on the dance floor.

Elsewhere, Carmelita, Bentley and Murray are strolling near the Eiffel Tower for the 6th time in the Cooper Van, looking for Terry; Carmelita then checked the time on her Binocucom and saw it was 15 to 8pm. Carmelita then asked yet again "Still no luck, you two?" Murray shook his head as Bentley clucked his tongue negatively, before Carmelita tilted her head back and groaned in irritation. Murray then noted "Unless we hear something about him in the next hour, I don't think we can—"Murray was interrupted by a call from Carmelita's Binocucom, which the dial tone was the Main Theme from Infamous: Second Son.

She then answered and said "Inspector Fox here. What seems to be the trouble?" Bentley mouthed to Murray "_She can't be serious with that dial-tone…_" Murray made a shrug with his eyes closed, when Carmelita suddenly said in surprise "He's WHAT?! Where's he going?" Bentley looked at Murray, who looked at him back in concern, when Carmelita said after ending the call "Get to Dimitri's Nightclub! GO!"

Back at the Nightclub, Terry and Pearl were at the bar counter as the song 'Turn Down for What' by DJ Snake and Lil Jon plays in the DJ Booth, talking about their families. Although it was rather loud, they both know how to read lip, so Terry said "See, my family has a dislike for criminal activities and they'd rather not get mixed up in that, especially from the Cooper Clan. Just a few days ago, I found out my family are actually descendants from Thaddeus' Cooper's time; though he didn't knew about it, since it was on a heist."

Pearl nodded, before she replied "Well, MY family and I don't get along well. My Parents came from a long line of Ranch Hands and wanted me to continue the family tradition. *scoff* Yeah, not really interesting, so I left them in the middle of the night and maintained work as a Waitress here in Paris ever since." Terry widened his eyes and nodded, before he turned his head and mouthed "_Wow…_"

The P.A. overhead then ringed before Dimitri's Voice rang through the speaker "Check mic, Check mic… Solid. All you party-goers on the dance floor: Keep on partying like there's no tomorrow. Just remember: No one can outdance moi! Okay, Peace out." Terry raised his brow in puzzlement and asked Pearl "Outdance him in what? Dance Dance Revolution?" Pearl bawled out laughing hard at Terry's question, holding onto the bar counter firmly so she wouldn't fall out of her stool, before she calmed down a minute later. They then heard the song 'Switch' by Will Smith come on, which Pearl pulled Terry onto the dance floor, much to his pleasure.

They then danced underneath the disco ball, with Pearl looking over her shoulder, wearing a broad smile as Terry was dancing along with her. A twirling dancer then bumped into Pearl and the latter landed on Terry, who caught her in her hips; they looked at each other blankly for a moment, before they made a light chuckle. They then got lost in each other's eyes and leaned in a little, as Terry was thinking "_Wait… We're not… I mean, we're seriously…_" Pearl slowly pursed her lips with her eyes closed, as Terry lowered his upper eyelids and slowly pursed his lips, thinking "_I… I suppose… I suppose I can go with it…_" They were barely a centimetre from contact, when the building suddenly shook.

Pearl suddenly widened her eyes and asked fearfully "What was that?" Terry shrugged at her, when the building shook more violently; Terry's ears twitched and he looked upwards, seeing the Disco Ball was shaking from the violent impact. A few moments of quiet followed after that, when Pearl said "Is… is it gone?" A second later, the double doors flung off their hinges, with one impacting the pillar connected to the overhead Disco Ball. Everyone screamed in panic and fled from the Nightclub, save for Terry and Pearl, who were frozen in panic as they saw a massive bulldog in an orange prison jumpsuit, growling venomously at the couple.

Pearl was in a fit of fear, when Terry told her "Pearl, hide." Seeing no other alternative, Pearl left the room, leaving Terry alone with Muggshot; Muggshot bared his teeth and said "Protecting yer little lady friend, huh? Well, it matters not, because all I'm interested in is whacking you, Cooper." Terry made a puzzled expression, before he realised "Oh… You're mistaken, man. I'm not Cooper—" Muggshot then intervened with a violent snarl "Don't play dumb with me, ya scrawny raccoon! I want payback from last time you took me down! Prepare to be pummelled!" Terry then had a moment to think before he said "Uh oh…"

Terry then dodged a swung fist from Muggshot as Dimitri said through the P.A. "Listen, little raccoonus doodus, I've called for help. Just evade that jockhead's attacks until they arrive!" Muggshot then yelled as Terry dodged a downward punch "After I've finished Cooper, you're next, ya lizard!" After dodging more punches, Terry landed in front of the pillar holding the Disco Ball in place; Muggshot, figuring his punches aren't working, charged at Terry with his left arm in front. Seeing that the Pillar is holding the disco ball in place, Terry jumped towards it and boosted backwards just moments before Muggshot got to him. Muggshot then hit the pillar, leaving a bent mark on it as the rope knot holding the disco ball up slipped off a little.

Muggshot then rubbed his arm, before he turned and leered venomously at Terry; he them smashed the ground, getting the rope knot to slip off more, before bellowing "Time to die, Cooper!" At that moment, Carmelita Fox burst through the skylight, alongside Bentley and Murray, before she said "Muggshot, put your hands up and freeze!" Muggshot ignored Carmelita and charged towards Terry; the rope knot then fully slipped off, getting the Disco Ball to fall right on top of Muggshot's head.

Muggshot then jumped around, holding his head as he bawled in pain; Terry then blankly looked at Muggshot, before he turned to Carmelita, Bentley and Murray and said "I really thought that would knock him out cold." Camrelita then replied "Muggshot's rather thick-headed, so dropping so much as an Anvil wouldn't knock him out. Smart idea, though…" Terry shrugged at Carmelita, when they heard 2 guns clicking; They then slowly turned their heads to Muggshot and saw him dual wielding revolver pistols with a nasty grin on his face. As Muggshot aimed and squeezed the revolvers at him, Terry rushed to the side, evading round after round until Muggshot ran out of ammunition.

Terry then skidded to a halt, looking up at Muggshot's astonished face, who then said "How did ye do that?! You were… You were… you were a blur!" Terry raised his brow, before Muggshot threw his guns away and charged at Terry; Terry then suddenly envisioned a familiar Raccoon doing a flip kick at a straw dummy. Seeing that it might stun him, Terry did a flip kick at Muggshot, before, as if he'd been meaning to do this, gripped Muggshot's collar and slammed him to the floor, dazing him. Terry can't believe on what he had just did, when he turned to Carmelita, Bentley and Murray and saw pure astonishment in their eyes.

After a few moments of quiet astonishment, Murray then finally spoke "Holy Cow! How'd you run like a blur?" Terry was still confused by that, before he replied "Ran like a Blur? I just ran to evade the bullets, but didn't realise how fast I was going." They heard someone clearing their throat, when they turned their heads to see Dimitri and a shaking Pearl, who's relieved that Terry's alright. Dimitri then said to Terry, holding a remote "You might want to see this, bit player…" Dimitri played a recording on the overhead plasma screen of Terry confronting Muggshot; when the part where Muggshot shot at Terry, the latter was surprised that he evaded the rounds in a faint, light blue blur.

Terry then said when the recording ends "I… I didn't know I can do that…" Bentley then remarked "Well, I have yet to see Sly do a manoeuvre like that." A light flicked in Terry's mind when Bentley said Sly's name and asked "Wait, YOU know Sly?" Bentley wheeled his chair around and replied "Ever since we met at the orphanage, as well as Murray here." Carmelita then asked Terry suspiciously "How do you know Sly, anyway? I'll admit to some curiosity." Terry made a deep breath, before he replied after exhaling "Because… I'm… I'm a distant cousin."


	5. The Missing Branch

Master of Thieves

Chapter 4: The Missing Branch

Carmelita, Murray, Bentley and Dimitri stared at Terry for a few moments, before Carmelita made a chuckle and replied "You're joking… No way. There's no way you're a distant cousin to Sly." Terry had a notion that they'd be skeptical about it, so he replied "Yeah… I knew you wouldn't believe me. I swear, though, I'm not making this up. My family were descendants from Thaddeus Cooper's loathing sister and they pretended to not knowing they're related to them."

Carmelita's smile then dropped to a blank expression, before she crossed her arms and inquired "If you are related to the Cooper Gang, then where is your proof?" Terry then reached into his vest, which Carmelita raised her shock pistol and ordered Terry "Pull your hand out slowly…" Terry did as he was told, before grabbing out a familiar looking page from the inside of his vest and slowly approached Carmelita before giving her the page. She then gave the page to Bentley, who unfolded it; his brows then raised in surprise and exclaimed "Gadzooks! It's the missing page from the book!"

Murray and Carmelita then turned their attention to Bentley and looked at the page, which entails Thaddeus' sister and her loathing to his heritage. Bentley, Murray and Carmelita slowly raised their irises to look at Terry, who's looking rather nervously at them, before Bentley asked "Your family had this from Thaddeus' time?" Terry nodded, before Carmelita continued "And you discovered this in an attic, I presume?" Terry nodded again, before replying "In an old, wooden lockbox; though the lock was well rusted, so I just pried it by force to break it." Carmelita, Bentley and Murray nodded with pursed lips, before Bentley had a thought and asked Terry "Mind if you come with us to the hideout?" Terry isn't sure what Bentley has got planned, but he accepts the offer nonetheless.

He then went over to Pearl, who lunged at him into a hug and sobbed into his chest; Terry responded calmly by stroking Pearl's back and softly shushing her sympathetically. He then touched his nose with Pearl's and nuzzled her, much to Pearl's satisfaction, before he told her "It's going to be okay… I'll be back as soon as possible, I swear it." Pearl looked into Terry's reassuring eyes, before she smiled at him and nodded at him in affirmation. Terry then turned to Carmelita, Bentley and Murray and said in a serious tone "I'm ready to go."

Terry was led to the Cooper Van in the parking lot, much to his surprise, considering it was the SAME van he saw earlier; he then realised, much to his personal amusement, that he accepted tenancy from the Cooper Gang themselves. Terry then hopped in the back and sat on a seat cushion, just as Murray and Carmelita sat in the front seats and Bentley hopped in the back and hoisted himself onto an electronic chair facing an analog flatscreen PC, before the Van drove off to the hideout. As the Van drove to the hideout, Carmelita looked in the rear-view mirror at Terry, thinking "_There's something unique about him… I'm betting by my last Shock Round that he'll bring Sly back._"

The van then stopped at the hideout, before everyone exited the van; as he went for a seat on the couch, Bentley remarked "Just so you know, you look like Sly, but not the eye colour. No wonder Muggshot mistook you for him; I'll admit, I didn't expect you to rush like a blur like that." Terry made a shrug, before Bentley went into the Cooper Vault and grabbed the Thievius Raccoonus from its pedastel.

As Bentley returned to the main room, he overheard Terry talking to Murray in amusement "I mean, what were the odds that I accepted tenancy from the Cooper Gang itself? That's rather fortunate, considering I just arrived in the city limits this very morning." They both roared in laughter in the irony, before Bentley cleared his throat and gestured Terry to come by the desk; Terry then got off the couch and joined Bentley as the latter opened the Thievius Raccoonus and stopped at where the missing page is on Thaddeus' chapter. Terry then realised where Bentley is going with this and gave him the missing page; Bentley then took it from Terry's paws and placed it at the cut indentation, realising it was a perfect match.

A few minutes later, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita listened to Terry explain his story, which he complied gladly… "As you well know, my family are descendants of Thaddeus' loathing sister, Victoria, who parted ways from his and didn't reply to any of his mail. My family, consisting of my father, mother and aunt, continued to evade the subject of our relations to Thaddeus Cooper. Meanwhile, I was unaware of the heritage as I was raised without knowing the Cooper Gang, instead being educated in school and having distinctions in Geography and PDHPE." Carmelita then interrupted in curiosity "In theory or in practical lesson?" Terry raised his brow, which Carmelita then added "You know, in PDHPE…" Terry then understood and replied "Both, actually." Carmelita then nodded with her lips pursed.

Terry then continued "Anyway, despite my performance at school, a whole of students kept their distance from me out of dislike. At first, I thought they were jealous of my exceptional marks, but I soon realised they believed I was like Sly Cooper. Knowing my parents would disregard it, I instead went to the attic and take a good look around; I then noticed a wooden lockbox underneath boxes full of photo albums, so I moved the boxes out of the way and, like I said earlier, pried it open to see a worn piece of paper." Terry didn't need to explain the next part, which the gang and Carmelita already guessed what happened next.

Terry then continued "I went to the medical clinic and asked for my DNA results, explaining that I need to do a comparison in Paris, France. After getting the printed copy of my DNA results, I returned home and began to pack for my trip to Paris. Naturally, my parents forbade me to travel to the city and to forget knowing our distant relations with the Cooper Gang. I then told them off for keeping this for me and sternly told them that, despite the distant relations, I plan to find Sly Cooper, who I deduced was my cousin, even if I have to become part of the Cooper Gang. Seeing how determined I was to find him, they let me go to Paris and told me to be careful."

Terry then finished, which Bentley, Murray and Carmelita looked at him in interest. Bentley then asked "So, you travelled all the way to Paris and did a DNA comparison, all because you want to find Sly?" Terry nodded at Bentley, before he, Murray and Carmelita looked rather forlorn. Terry then asked in concern "Where… Where is Sly?" Bentley, Murray and Carmelita was wondering if that question was going to pop up sooner or later, hence their forlorn expressions. Bentley then explained what happened on Le Paradox's Blimp to Terry, which to his and both Murray's and Carmelita's surprise, Terry didn't look like he's in disbelief.

When he finished on what happened, Terry replied "Yikes… That's quite a difficult problem, even if anyone would believe that tale. Of course, since technology is quite hi-tech, time-travel equipment is possible to make; that, and I don't peg you as liars." Normally, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita would look offended by that remark, but when Terry said it in a calm and understanding tone, they were instead relieved.

Bentley then glanced at the Thievius Raccoonus on the desk and gave a good think, before he asked Terry "Would you be willing to go on a training course? Just to ensure you've got the prowess of a Cooper." Terry gave it a good hard thought, before he replied with a determined smile "I'd do anything to help, even if it's a fatal task." Bentley made a nod at Terry, before he wheeled to the desk and grabbed the book; as Terry hopped off the couch and followed Bentley, the latter thought "_Seems like he's willing to help us at any cost… even more so when it involves Sly._"


	6. A Thief in Training

Master of Thieves

Chapter 5: A Thief in Training

(Gameplay is mentioned in this chapter)

Terry went with Bentley into an elevator hidden behind a bookshelf, much to his fascination, before they were lowered down 3 stories into a large, dimly lit, metallic room. Bentley then led Terry along the wall to their left, as Terry asked in a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity "What is this room? Is it for training or practise?" Bentley replied as he searched alongside the wall "Both… just to ensure we won't get rusty before we go on a job or a heist." Terry nodded with his lips pursed, before he thought of something. He then asked Bentley, who's moving his fingers on the wall in assessment "Does that include Carmelita too? Or is it just for the Cooper Gang?" Bentley gave it a hard thought, before he replied "Well… she's in league with the gang, sure, but she scarcely uses the room to train."

Terry shrugged in a fair expression, before Bentley pressed on a hidden switch and a hidden compartment revealed itself on Bentley's right. Terry turned his head and saw a curious looking cane: The handle was a deep purple with the Cooper insignia on the pommel and the head was yellow. Bentley then said to Terry, with a look of amusement "Each Cooper traditionally wields a cane; from the Stone Age, to Medieval Times, to the Gold Rush, they wielded their own signature cane. This cane, which is kept inside this compartment, is similar to the one Sly uses… at least, I hope he still does." Bentley then looked remorseful, still disheartened for not finding Sly or when he wound up in. He then cleared his throat and said "Anyway, you take the Cane and we can proceed to your training."

Terry then nodded at Bentley, before he gripped the Cane in his right hand and twirled it flawlessly before stopping it, much to Bentley's delight. Terry then said with a broad smile "Man, this cane is very well balanced. Not to mention that it's light and resilient; now this is a work of art." Bentley smiled at Terry while adjusting his glasses, before he replied "That's quite reassuring to hear… Well, we should start your training now." Terry then nodded at Bentley in a determined expression, before the latter wheeled into the elevator and went up to the observation panel just above where the Cane was kept.

Terry then witnessed the dimly lit room being suddenly shone from above by rectangular lights, which briefly blinded him before he adjusted his eyes into the now lit room. Bentley then said through the P.A. "Sorry about that… I'm still working on the lights, specifically their brightness levels. Anyway, are you ready to begin?" Terry then looked up at the observation window, before replying in a smile "By all means, bring it on." Bentley shook his head in an amused smile and thought "Just like Sly…" He then pressed a button on the control panel, which raised multiple metallic platforms from below.

When they stopped at various heights, Bentley said through the P.A. "All Thieves share a common trait…" Terry then answered questionably "Fluent mobility?" Bentley then replied "Well, yeah… Yeah, that's exactly right. Anyway, in order to climb something, like that nearby ladder, hit X to jump and press O. Try climbing up to the top of the platform." Terry nodded and climbed the ladder to the top of the platform as instructed. Bentley then said through the P.A. "Okay, now we can move on to going from one platform to another. Basically, you just need to use X to get by this next bit." Terry nodded at the observation window, before Bentley continued "Alright, so you need to climb up to that elevated platform, but a regular jump won't be effective. In order to clear this segment, you need to do a double jump. Plainly, you need to hit the X button to jump, then while in the air, hit X again to gain some extra altitude." Terry didn't need telling twice, so he got in a readying stance, before he jumped once, before he jumped again in a front flip before landing on his feet flawlessly.

Although Bentley saw this countless times from Sly, he was impressed that Terry picked this up on his first try; he then thought to himself "_He's doing quite well, considering this is his first time… Still, Jumping is Child's Play compared to the next obstacles._" Bentley then said through the P.A. "Alright, so far so good! Next, you need to use the cane to swing over the gap; above you is a hook. Hit the O button while in the air to latch the cane onto the hook, then use the Left Stick to swing in momentum. Once you've got the momentum, hit the O Button to let go of the hook and propel yourself to the next platform." Terry made a salute at Bentley, before he jumped and latched onto the overhanging hook, before swinging in rotation until he let go of the hook and landed cat-like on the next platform. Suffice to say, Bentley was intrigued on how Terry handles the obstacles, before he said through the Mic "Okay, next obstacle is sort of like passing a tight-rope. You just need to get from one platform to the other by crossing that rope; jump (X) and hit the O button to run along ropes or similar thin objects." Terry then replied "10-4, Bentley." As Terry crossed the gap on the rope, Bentley chortled at Terry's response, when Murray and Carmelita just came off the elevator.

Murray then asked Bentley "So, how's the newbie doing, Bentley?" Bentley replied as he, Murray and Carmelita peered out the observation window "Just finished the Tightrope section… Just gotta do the Wall Shimmy portion and we should be good to go." Carmelita, however, thought differently and said "I don't see why we need to test him; he clearly showed he can overcome Muggshot through sheer cunning." Bentley then retorted "Hey, Muggshot isn't bright… besides, that was COMBAT, not traversal." Carmelita then got into an argument with Bentley, as Terry asked "So, what's next on the course?" Neither Bentley or Carmelita heard Terry's question, so Murray replied "Uh, Bentley's in an argument with Carmelita… so it looks like I've got to activate the Wall Shimmy obstacle for you." Terry gave it a thought, before making a shrug and noted "Alright then… I'm not fond of shimming along walls, but go ahead anyway."

Murray then nodded at Terry, before he was about to press the button that activates the Wall Shimmy obstacle, when Carmelita slammed her right hand on the console, unaware that it activates the Camera obstacle. Murray then said "Uh, guys?" Bentley then retorted as the Camera obstacle lowered into the course "We would've GOTTEN Octavio if you haven't interfered! He was holding the detonator, for gods sakes!" Murray then said louder "Guys…" Carmelita then yelled "I didn't KNOW he was holding the detonator! Anyway, I wasn't aware that Sly was planning to drop the hanging orb on Octavio's head!" Bentley then retorted as the Camera obstacle turned on, much to Terry's puzzlement "I'm surprised that you shot the orb, with your Black and White persona wedged up your—" Murray then bellowed "GUYS!" Carmelita and Bentley then shouted at Murray "What?!" Murray gestured his head out the observation window, before Bentley and Carmelita looked out to see the Camera obstacle instead of the Wall Shimmy activated.

Terry then asked "I'm guessing that Camera has motion sensors?" Bentley then replied "Yup… Though I'm not sure how you're going to get past it." Terry gave it a thought, before he recalled his fight against Muggshot and saw the cam recording showing only a blur he made when he evaded Muggshot's gunfire. He then said "I've got an idea… I CAN rush through this." Carmelita then said "How? You can't get past it normally…" Terry then smirked and replied "But I can if I use the O button while moving with the Left Stick. Watch and learn…" As soon as he moved a muscle, Terry blurred past the camera to the other platform without being detected. Bentley, Murray and Carmelita had their jaw dropped in astonishment, before Bentley finally exclaimed "Gadzooks! He used the same move against Muggshot to get past the motion sensor camera… and without triggering the alarm, to boot!" Carmelita turned her head a few times from Bentley to Terry a few times, before she replied in a question "What about noise? Did that move made any noise?" Bentley checked the sound level on the Camera obstacle and when he replayed on what Terry did, his response was an astonished expression. He then replied to Carmelita's question "No. There was no noise when Terry initiated the move. This is incredible…"

Carmelita, Bentley and Murray then looked out at the observation window, when Terry asked "Is that all of the tests? Or is there more? I'm fine with either one." Bentley then replied through the P.A. "There's still more to go… But we're unsure on what to dub that manoeuvre you did." Terry gave it a thought, with his hand on his chin, before e snapped his fingers at a conclusion. He then said "I've got an idea… It's a little cliché, but I think I'll name it 'Thief Rush'." Bentley, Carmelita and Murray gave that name a thought, with Bentley pursing his lips, Carmelita tapping her finger on her upper lip and Murray looking up with his hands in his hoodie pockets, before they agreed to the name. After Terry hopped off the platform as it sank into the floor, a large, square combat pit emerged from below, realising almost instantly that combat tests were next.

He then stepped onto the fighting pit, when Murray said through the P.A. "Alright, next we're going to see if you can handle yourself in a fight… besides your encounter with Muggshot earlier, naturally." Terry shrugged and replied "Just dumb luck at that encounter… If I'm going to be involved in combat, I need to be quick on my feet and quicker with my skills." Murray made an amused chortle, before he noted "Can't argue with that, little buddy. You and I are gonna get along well…" Terry puts his hands in his pockets and smiled with his teeth bared, before an active test dummy emerged from below the pit. Murray then said as Terry readied his cane "As you are aware, when it comes down to combat, it's either you or your foe that needs to be victorious. What you see is… well, obviously, a basic training dummy. Don't worry about being hit, it's just faces you passively while you attack it; hit the [ ] button to attack it until it's down and out." Terry nodded and did 3 fluent swings with the cane until the training dummy fell on the floor in ragdoll fashion, when he threw the cane as it spun in mid-air, before catching it flawlessly in the grip.

Murray then said through the P.A. "Nice work! Unfortunately, in most fights, there'll be more than one opponent; believe me, I've been through them a hundred times. See if you can beat 3 opponents this time, I'll be watching with a soda and a burger." Terry shrugged as he thought to Murray as a laid back guy when not on a job, before 3 test dummies emerged from the pit; like the first test, these dummies were purely passive, so Terry took care of them with ease, taking out the third one by vaulting over it and gripped the back of its neck with his cane, before slamming it onto the ground. Murray then spat out the soda in astonishment, before he said through the P.A. "Whoa! That was so awesome, what you did with the last dummy! I was going to get you through with Finishers, but you pulled it off without a hitch!" Terry made a salute gesture at the observation window with a warm smile, which Murray smiled with his arms crossed and his teeth bared.

Murray then said through the P.A. "You're good in my books, but I still got to get you through some tests… This one involves launching a foe into the air and slamming him into the floor hard. Press the /_\ button to launch your opponent into the air, then after hitting X, press /_\ to slam the opponent to the ground, getting him out the fight." Terry nodded at Murray, before he turned as another test dummy emerged from below. Carmelita then went inside the observation room and asked Murray "How's he doing?" Murray then replied as he looked intently at Terry "He's totally awesome! He already gone through two tests and done a finisher on the second test." Carmelita is now interested in Terry's capabilities and remarked "I still don't see how we need to put him through the combat tests; he took down Muggshot with nothing more than use of cunning and his unique move." Murray shrugged and replied "Honestly, I'm siding with you, Carmelita. Heck, I'd love him to have my back in a fight, but Bentley's rather persistent on the tests. Besides, there's still the stealth tests when he's done combat training." Carmelita tried to think of a counter, but she sighed in defeat and they witnessed Terry slamming the dummy hard onto the floor.

Carmelita then made a smirk and noted "Alright, he's handy in a fight… Murray, set up the last test; I'll assist him in the test." Murray then gestured a thumbs up with a bared smile, before Carmelita went in the elevator and pressed a button. As the doors closed, Murray said through the P.A. "Alright, this is the last test, little buddy! In order to get through the Teamwork test, you need one other ally to help; fortunately, Carmelita has volunteered to assist you in the test." Like clockwork, the elevator chimed and the doors opened to reveal Carmelita with her Shock Pistol at the ready. Terry held the cane over his shoulder, wearing a smile, before he said as Carmelita approached the fighting pit "Nice to have an experienced Interpol officer in a fight… Judging by your looks, you can jump higher than Sly with your… strong legs and can shoot with a perceptive dead-eye." Carmelita smirked and replied "Your judgement is not wrong… Just like your skills with the cane is nothing to laugh at." Terry bared his teeth in a pleased smile, when they were surrounded by training dummies, some equipped with foam bats, when Carmelita and Terry went back-to-back at each other.

Murray then said through the P.A. "Alright, normally, we'd get you through a Finisher and Environmental test, but this seems more like your speed. Anyway, after landing a certain amount of hits or defeating 3 opponents, you can initiate a dual takedown; after meeting either requirement, press both the /_\ and O button to initiate a Dual Takedown. This is going to be so sweet!" Terry then vaulted over a charging dummy, before slamming it onto the ground; he then took 2 more down by tricking one to take out its buddy and taking him out by fluently gripping it with the cane and slamming it onto the ground. As a dummy charged at him, Terry did a leg sweep and said as he flung the dummy into the air "Take it to go!" Carmelita then jumped up high and kicked the dummy downward before shooting it with a volley of shock rounds.

While the test was underway, Bentley wheeled out the elevator and asked Murray "How's he doing in the tests, Murray?" Murray then replied in a gleeful grin "See for yourself, Bentley." Bentley faced the observation window and witnessed Carmelita kicking a test dummy in the air whilst saying "Put him down!" Terry then grasped the airborne dummy and slammed it down to the ground, before twirling the cane and propping it over his shoulder with a pleased smile. Bentley was amazed at Terry's fluent co-operation in the final test, before he adjusted his glasses and said "Alright, time to do the stealth portion." Terry and Carmelita left the fighting pit just before it descended below the floor, being replaced by 4 pillars, rows of half-walls and mounted spotlights currently inactive.

Anticipating this, Terry took a deep breath, before Bentley said through the P.A. "Alright, another important thing every thief needs to understand is that they need to be quiet while undetected by enemies. For this test, you just need to get from one end of the room to the other with as little noise as possible." Terry then nodded, before he bent his knees slightly and sneaked to the other end of the room, careful not to bump to any of the half-walls, before he reached the end of the room. He then turned to face the observation window and Bentley remarked "Great work! There was a faint amount of noise, but not enough to alert guards in a room. Now, this time, you just need to avoid the spotlights as you cross back; they'll be in a fixed route, so pay attention to their movement." Terry made a thumbs up gesture with a wink with his right eye, when the spotlights turned on; he then assessed on their movement patterns, before he proceeded across the room.

Bentley, Murray and Carmelita assessed his progress, intrigued as to his patient progression through the test, when he crossed the course without even a slight sign of uncertainty. Carmelita then noted "So far, so good! He definitely got this in the bag, you guys." Bentley then nodded, before he said through the P.A. "Alright, next test involves taking out an enemy when not detected. When you're close to an enemy while in stealth, hit the /_\ button to launch them in the air, then jump (X) and press /_\ again to finish him off." Terry made a salute with his two fingers, before a medium-sized dummy facing away from him emerged from the other side of the room. He then snuck to the dummy, before launching it into the air and slamming it onto the floor; he then spun the cane around to orient himself, before turning to the observation window. Bentley then said "Good work! Keep in mind that it won't work while in combat; it's purely a stealth move." Terry then replied "Duly noted. What's next, Einstein? Uh… no offense." Bentley then said "First, none taken. Second, just two more tests and they both involve pickpocketing." Terry nodded with his lips pursed, before another medium-sized dummy emerged from below, with his back pocket ominously shimmering.

Bentley then explained "Some guards have thing in their pockets, like coins, keycards, keys or other useable stuff that you can pickpocket. Just get close to the dummy and press the O button to pick the pocket." Terry nodded, though he thought to himself "_Yeah… I was wondering if I was going to do pickpocketing eventually… Ah well, let's get this over with._" Terry then snuck up to the dummy and picked his pocket to receive what looks like a pair of binoculars. The dummy then suddenly fell onto the floor in a limp, before it was submerged below the floor in a thick dark purple mist; Terry was odded out at that, then he thought that it was part of their functions before taking a good look at the binoculars. He then saw the Cooper insignia on top of the binoculars, when Bentley said through the P.A. "That what your holding is a Binocu-com; it's a standard piece of equipment you critically need when you're out on the field. Thing is, it's current battery is drained, so you need to grab another; fortunately, that's your next pickpocketing item, but now you have to face both a moving target and active spotlights on a fixed route." Terry then gripped on the Binocu-com and replied in a determined expression "Bring it on."

Bentley made a small smile, before he activated the next test, with another med-sized dummy emerging from the other end of the room and the spotlights flickering on. Seeing it's mainly a small window of opportunity, Terry spared no time in retrieving the battery in the dummy's pocket without being detected by it or the spotlights. Cleverly, he took cover behind the half-walls to avoid the spotlights gaze and dug into the dummy's pocket, before retrieving the battery before the dummy could even get past the second spotlight. The spotlights then suddenly shut off as the dummy disappeared in a shroud of dark blue mist, before the room went back to an empty, spacious room. Terry then saw the elevator open and saw Bentley, Murray and Carmelita inside, before they approached him in dead silence. Bentley then gestured Terry to come with them, which he did rather curiously; they then entered the elevator and rode it to the ground level, before they exited the elevator.

As they went to the recreation room, Terry asked "I… didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Bentley then paused for a few moments, before he replied "No… You didn't fail any of the tests." Terry stared and blinked at Bentley, before asking "Well, what is it then?" Bentley then paused for a few seconds, before he replied "Just want to tell you…" Terry raised his brow at Bentley, before the latter continued "You're officially part of the Cooper Gang!" That sentence was like music to Terry's ears, when Murray did a head noogie on his head and messed up his hair. Terry wasn't bothered by it, but was instead chuckling lightheartedly on being a recent member of the Cooper Clan, when there was a sudden static on Bentley's Binocu-com.

Terry, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita turned their heads to Bentley's Binocu-com, when they heard a faint voice coming from the receiver; Bentley then wheeled quickly to the Binocu-com and turned it on speaker mode. What they heard was a familiar voice with the signal going faint "_…Ley! I… up in… gypt! …rry up, the sit… is ba—_" The signal was the suddenly cut, but everyone in the room understood that voice in an instant. Carmelita then said in a hoarse voice "That… That was…" Terry then finished, wearing the same surprised expression "Sly."


	7. A Problem in Egypt

Master of Thieves

Chapter 6: A Problem in Egypt

Sly was slowly waking up to the sound of the hot, dry wind blowing sand and then suddenly opened his eyes, to see he's in the time of Ancient Egypt. Aside from the dunes as far as the eye can see, he also saw the wreckage of Le Paradox's Blimp half covered in the sand; he then saw that his father's cane is lying next to him, so he grasped it and stood up, dusting off the sand off his clothing, before his ears shot upwards and slowly looked up. He then realised that he was close to the legendary Sphynx statue and that its still has its nose; he also realised that his ancestor Slytunkhamen the First might be over there, so he advanced to the Sphynx.

As he went closer to the Sphynx, he has an uneasy feeling that something's wrong, but he can't put his finger on what it is; the answer came when he saw slaves being forced to moving equipment inside the Sphynx and they were DEFINITELY not made in Slytunkhamen's time. He then noticed an outline at the farthest tent to the right, when it suddenly went out of Sly's view; seeing that it might be his ancestor, he snuck past the guards and followed a faint, yet noticeable foot path, ensuring that he doesn't get detected by passing guards. As he delved deeper in the area, he saw technology that seems familiar to him: Laser Grids, Spotlights, even Motion Sensors. Feeling that someone might ruin his family timeline again, he proceeded to find Slytunkhamen, avoiding the security altogether.

As he rounded a corner into an abandoned sandstone home, he was suddenly gripped by the shoulder and pinned against the wall, before he saw a familiar looking cane raised for a blow. He then said in a question "Slytunkhamen?" The cane then suddenly stopped in mid-air, before a figure suddenly appeared inches from Sly, who he recognised almost instantly as Slytunkhamen Cooper the First. Slytunkhamen then took a closer inspection at Sly, before he removed his grip and said, to Sly's surprise, in perfect English "You're… not in league with the Pharaoh?" Sly blankly looked at Slytunkhamen and blinked once before replying in puzzlement "What pharaoh?" Slytunkhamen then made a derisive sigh, before he told Sly "Follow me… and stay out of sight from the guards."

Sly nodded at his ancestor, before they snuck to the nearly complete Pyramid, with Sly running along the overhead ropes as Slytunkhamen went invisible on ground level. They then climbed a pillar at the back of the Sphynx, before they saw a wooden stage at the base of the Giza Pyramid; they then saw what looks like a throne on the stage and sitting on it was a weathered-looking male Jackal in Pharaoh clothing. Sly then asked Slytunkhamen "Uh, Slytunkhamen, who exactly is that?" The latter replied, with a venomous leer "That, my distant descendant, is Pharaoh Ramses. The previous Pharaoh had disappeared and Ramses was next in line to inherit the position."

Sly took a good look at Pharaoh Ramses, before he inquired "How did the former Pharaoh disappear?" Slytunkhamen replied, as a big, cloaked individual went on the stage "I am not sure… though I have suspicions that Ramses was behind it, as well as the increased security presence, especially inside the Sphynx." Sly was surprised at that part and asked "Wait, how did you even get in the Sphynx without being detected?" Slytunkhamen then smirked and replied "I can turn invisible, remember?" Sly then made an awkward laugh and noted "Yeah, sorry… I forgot." Slytunkhamen made a soft chortle, before Sly turned his head back to the stage.

He then noticed the cloaked individual and asked "Hey, Slytunkhamen, who's that robed fellow uttering to Ramses?" Slytunkhamen then looked at the cloaked individual and replied in suspicion "No one knows, not even Ramses himself. If I have to guess, though, he's likely to be his advisor." Sly then peered at the cloaked advisor, who paused for a moment, before he bowed at Ramses before departing; Sly then made a sudden shiver and noted "Whoever it is, I don't have a good feeling about it." Slytunkhamen nodded in agreement, when a couple of drones suddenly spotted them on the pillar. They then said in a pre-recorded message "_Hostiles detected… Offense mode activated… Units on high alert._" As the drones revealed their small, yet potential tesla turrets, Sly then said to Slytunkhamen "Go."

They then jumped off the pillar and evaded drones and security guards alike; they then successfully evaded the drones and guards by hiding in empty barrels a couple of blocks from the Sphynx. They waited for 2 minutes, before they left the barrels and Sly said "That… was intense…" Slytunkhamen then replied "No doubt… The guards, not much of a problem; those things, however… how did they know where we are?" That was exactly on Sly's mind, but then thought on the Cloaked Advisor and noted "It's a long shot… but I think the Advisor had a feeling we were on the pillar overlooking him and Ramses." Slytunkhamen looked at Sly in astonishment, before the latter made a shrug. Slytunkhamen then said "Let's go to the safehouse… We need to think hard about this." Sly didn't argue about that logic, when his thought came to Bentley, Murray and, much to his pain, Carmelita.

He then followed Slytunkhamen into the desert for 45 minutes, before they came upon a ruin underneath a dune with the Cooper Insignia embedded on the sandstone door. Slytunkhamen then wielded his cane and tapped the door in a certain sequence: One tap, two taps, one tap, three taps, two taps. After he finished the sequence, the door opened upwards and both Sly and Slytunkhamen entered the Safehouse: It was a dimly lit ruin with a few lanterns lit, the walls were plastered with hand-drawn schematics of the interior of the Sphynx and the Giza Pyramid, there was 2 hammocks on the right corner of the room and the middle was a wooden table with a map of the area and, unless his eyes were deceiving him, the recently made Thievius Racconus.

Sly and his ancestor then sat on either end of the table and pondered on the sudden change of events. After almost an hour of brainstorming, Sly said finally "Here's what I'm thinking: Pharaoh Ramses and his Advisor had suddenly overthrown the previous Pharaoh and are forcing the slaves to move highly advanced tech inside the Sphynx in addition to finish building the Pyramid. In order to ensure there isn't any form of rebellion, they set up some Aerial Drones and Laser Grids so the slaves can't even fight back." Slytunkhamen then pondered deeply, before replying "Yeah… that's my read too. But what's their goal and how can we prevent it?" Sly then made a sigh and noted "I dunno… This is my first time brainstorming without Bentley." SLytunkhamen looked at Sly in sympathy, before he drummed his fingers on the wooden table for a possible solution.

He then asked his future descendant "Is there some way you can contact your friend? Any way at all?" Sly gave it a thought, before he realised he still has his Binocu-com; he then grabbed it out and turned it on, to see it has little battery level. Even still, he attempted contact and said "Bentley! Bentley, do you copy?" Sly paused, hoping for a response, before he said "Bentley! I ended up in Ancient Egypt! Hurry up, the situation is bad here!" The Binocu-com then went dead from using the last of its battery, before Sly made a sigh and said to Slytunkhamen "Let's hope against hope it reached him…" Slytunkhamen nodded worriedly at Sly, before they left the Safehouse to assess the Security Measures, unaware that their call has been answered.


	8. A Lesson in Time

Master of Thieves

Chapter 7: A Lesson in Time

Back in present time, Terry, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita were still surprised from the transmission from Sly's Binocu-com, yet there was relief that he was, indeed, stuck in time. After replaying the transmission a few more times, Bentley came to the conclusion that Sly ended up in Ancient Egypt, but something bad happened when he indirectly arrived. As Bentley wheeled into the Cooper Vault, Terry turned his head to Murray and Carmelita and asked "What is Bentley getting in the Cooper Vault, exactly? An Ankh pendant or probably a form of currency in the time of about 3000-1000 B.C.?" Murray just shrugged as Carmelita made an unsure sigh, before Bentley came back with a piece of a sickle, noting "I KNEW this would help eventually."

Murray then asked as Bentley placed the weathered Sickle piece on the workbench "What's that, Bentley?" As Bentley opened his mouth to answer, Terry replied, wearing an awed expression "A weathered piece of a Sickle blade, wielded by Jackal warriors in the time of Ancient Egypt who served the god Anubis. Judging by the piece, it's possible that it was more likely on a Jackal Statue prior to being broken." Terry then slowly looked at the other's astonished faces, before he made a resigned sigh and added "I paid heavy attention to History lessons in school, due to my interest in my family heritage going back to Thaddeus' Cooper's time." Carmelita adjusted her left wrist-cuff as Murray let out an awkward whistle, before Bentley said, still wearing an astonished expression and his mouth still gaping in amazement "I was going to say a Sickle Piece that's around since 3000 B.C., but you were more definitive in the assessment." Terry made a shrug, before replying "Sorry if I sounded like a smart-mouth." Bentley brushed it off, before he checked over the odd, yet intriguing handheld device on the workbench.

Understandably, Carmelita, Murray and Terry are curious on the device, when Bentley turned it on, which it hummed to life silently. Bentley then exclaimed "Eureka! It's finally ready!" Carmelita, Murray and Terry asked in unison "What?" Bentley then showed them the handheld device in his hands and replied in excitement "It's a hand-held time travel device I've been working on, in case the Time Machine in the van is unavailable." Terry shook his head neutrally with his lips pursed, as he was wondering what that machine was when he came inside the Hideout.

Murray then asked "How does it work, Bentley?" Bentley re-adjusted his glasses, before explaining "First off, in order to travel through time, you need to scan an item that originated from a specific date; in this case, a piece of a Sickle from the time of Ancient Egypt." Both Murray and Carmelita raised their brows in puzzlement, though Terry smiled broadly in interest; Bentley then continued to demonstrate "To scan an item, hold up the device with the circular scanner facing outward and press this button." Bentley tapped his finger on a blue button on the curved edge of the device, which Terry nodded in focus as Murray and Carmelita nodded, albeit less unsure.

Bentley then continued "Now depending on the item you scanned, it will range from either a few seconds to 5 minutes on the dot. Once it's been scanned, the date from when the item will originate will be registered in the device." Terry then said in sudden realisation "The Time Warp." Murray, Carmelita and Bentley looked at Terry in confusion and replied questionably "What?" Terry then explained "Well, considering it's a hand-held Time Travel Device for an individual person, the user will be warped from one specific date to the next. Hence the term, Time Warp." Bentley, Murray and Carmelita pursed their lips and pondered on Terry's logical explanation, before they agreed on the conclusion.

Terry then went back to the topic on hand by asking Bentley "So, how do you travel to the registered date, anyway?" Bentley then replied, albeit enlightened from Terry's surprising intelligence "You turn on the Holo-Screen with a rotatable switch on the right edge of the Time Warp Device, then scroll down until you spot the specific date you have registered into." Terry nodded with his eyes closed, which prompts Bentley to think "_He's got a flexible mind… With him on our side, we'll get Sly back in no time at all._" Bentley then added "Now, in addition to registering the new date in the Time Warp Device, it has an additional function that will return you to the present day."

Bentley then breathed through his nostrils, before he adds "However, there is a trade-off: Due to the size, it can only warp one person in time. Also, this is the only prototype that I've managed to build, so one of us needs to travel to Ancient Egypt and find out what danger Sly has discovered." It took only a second before Carmelita answered "I vote that Terry goes…" Bentley looked at Carmelita questionably, before she added "Look, he's more than willing to go ahead through time to help Sly. Besides, the Time Machine still needs to be repaired after the Van accidentally backed up into the Eiffel Tower." Murray crossed his arms and retorted "Remind me, who was behind the wheel at that time?" Carmelita looked guilty and thought back 2 week prior…

_**(2 Weeks Ago)**_

Carmelita came into the Hideout in the afternoon and saw Bentley calmly reading through a Novel and Murray working on his weights. Carmelita cleared her throat and asked "Hey guys, can I ask you something?" Bentley replied without averting his gaze from the novel "Sure, go ahead." Carmelita made a hard gulp, before she asked "Can… Can I use the Van for a case?" Murray stopped using his weights and turned his head to Carmelita, before asking "You want to use the Cooper Van for a case?" Carmelita nodded at Murray, painfully aware that he cares deeply about the Van. Murray took a deep thought about it, before he made a resigned sigh and said "Alright… Just please be careful when you back it up. The Time Machine is still in there." Carmelita nodded in agreement, before she went in the back and entered the Cooper Van.

Normally, she'd use her Roadster to arrive at the case, but this time, her roadster is currently having repairs due to a rookie patrol officer unintentionally backing into it… while she was leaving her reserved parking space. Even though he apologised sincerely for the damages, it still didn't change the fact that it needs to be attended in the repair shop. As she buckled up and turned on the ignition, she realised something problematic… she never drove a stick-shift before. Her roadster's gear system is linear, so driving in a stick-shift is new to her; she then carefully shifted the gear into reverse and slowly backed out onto the road. When she pressed the accelerator after shifting into 1st gear, she was jerked forward so suddenly, before she said to herself "Wow, this Van's acceleration is highly responsive." She then drove the van to the crime scene at the Eiffel Tower, often checking in the rear-view mirror to see if the Time Machine hadn't suffered a dent.

When she arrived at the crime scene, she saw Detective Barkley at the scene as well, much to her stress. Seeing that most of the parking spaces had been filled, Carmelita decided to just park underneath the Parisian Landmark; as she pulled the stick-shift into reverse, she heard Barkley shouting "Inspector Fox!" In an impulse, Carmelita accidentally reversed into the tower, which Barkley gritted his teeth in concern. The good news is that Carmelita didn't sustain damage to her OR the Eiffel Tower; the bad news is when she looked in the rear-view mirror and widened her eyes with a high-pitched *Urk!* noise: She not only damaged the back doors of the van, but also the Time Machine as well. She then blankly looked out the windshield, before resting her head on the horn, her irritated groaning drowned out by the van's horn.

An hour later, Carmelita remorsely drove the Van back to the hideout; as she turned off the ignition and unbuckled the seatbelt, she heard a voice that rang "Did you take care of my baby?" Murray entered the back and saw Carmelita's devastated expression, which tends to indicate the opposite scenario. Murray then heaved a sigh and crossed his arms, before he inquired seriously "How bad's the damage?" Carmelita looked at Murray's serious expression, before she sighed remorsely and gestured her thumb to the back; Murray then walked to the back as Bentley wheeled into the back. Bentley then asked "How did the drive go?" As Carmelita was about to answer, Murray bellowed "You GOT to be kidding me!" Bentley then wheeled to the back of the van and clenched his teeth on his fist as he saw the damage on the rear doors. Bentley then asked finally "Is the damage to the doors serious, Murray?" Murray then turned to Bentley and replied "Not really, but that's not the main concern… look at the Time Machine!"

Bentley raised his brow and wheeled until he saw the Time Machine was damaged; what raised his concerns most of all was the Quantum Modem and saw it had a sharp dent in it. It doesn't seem crucial to Carmelita, but to Bentley, it was the most vital piece to the machine; he then turned to Carmelita and said "Do you know… how long… it took… to make this modem alone?" Carmelita pursed her lips and admits "I'm not really fluent in the field of science…" Bentley then heaved a heavy sigh, before he continued "4 months… 4 mind-wracking months it took just to made this one component. It may seem trivial to you… in fact, I understand how you think that it IS trivial, but this very component keeps the Quantum energy needed for Time Travel stable." Carmelita looked down guiltily, before Bentley shook his head and wheeled back into the recreation room with Murray behind him; Carmelita then shed a tear and thought "_I'm sorry guys… I'm sorry Sly…_"

_**(Present Day)**_

Carmelita then said "Fact still is, Terry is the most likely to go." Bentley then shook his head and remarked "Even still, there's still a chance that the Time Warp might run out of power in just ONE use. I'm still working on the power efficiency—" Carmelita then argued with Bentley as Terry, heaving an annoyed sigh, sidled to the Time Warp and scanned the Sickle piece. Murray noticed that Terry is already heading out to Ancient Egypt, so instead of breaking up the argument, he handed Terry his knapsack with the Canteen, Scarf, Binocu-com and pair of Moccassins inside.

As Terry slung his knapsack over his shoulder, Murray asked him a question that's been nagging in his head "Out of curiosity, how determined are you to find and help Sly?" Terry replied as he scrolled to the date 3000 B.C. "To the point that I'll risk my life to save his… our families may be distant, but we are still family at any rate." Murray nodded with his lips pursed, before he bids Terry good luck. Terry then made a smirk and replied "Considering the situation Sly's in, it's more likely that HE'LL need the luck." Murray clapped Terry on his back, before the latter gripped on the Time Warp and was shrouded in a bright light, finally grabbing the attention of Bentley and Carmelita. Before they can do anything, Terry disappeared, with a few white dots fading into nothingness.


	9. Topography 101

Master of Thieves

Chapter 8: Topography 101

Terry shut his eyes tight so he wouldn't be blinded by the blurring streaks of light as he travelled back to the time of Ancient Egypt. He was just wondering on how long it takes to travel between milleniums, when he suddenly felt a hot dry wind blowing from behind. He then slowly peeked his left eye, before opening the other as he realised he's looking at the expansive desert with no signs of an oasis. His right ear then twitched instinctively and turned his head, before turning fully around to see he's close to a nearly finished Giza Pyramid and Sphynx, muttering under his breath "This… is astonishing…"

His Binocu-com then suddenly vibrated in his bag and grabbed it out, before hearing Bentley's voice on the transceiver. He heard him say "Terry? Terry, do you copy?" Terry then replied into the earpiece "10-4, Bentley. I hear you without fault." He then heard a sigh of relief in the receiver, which he supposed Bentley is relieved that the Time Warp Prototype works. He then asked "What about the power usage in the Time Warp? How much is there left?" Terry reached into his pocket and checked the Holo-Screen on the Time Warp, to see it still has 83% of battery left; he then replied to Bentley "Approximately 83% left… unsure if it was on full battery prior to using it, but still."

Terry heard Bentley hum in thought softly, when he noticed something circling the Sphynx's head. He then used the Binocu-com and zoomed in to the Sphynx's head, seeing that it still had its nose still intact. Bentley then said "Is that the Sphynx with its nose still intact?" Terry replied "Yup… But to be honest, I liked it better WITHOUT the nose. Anyway, it's not the Sphynx that caught my attention… it's what circling it." He then noticed the aerial object circling the Sphynx's head and realised it was a Sentry Drone, with what looks like an insignia imprinted on it.

Feeling that Sly's situation is worse than anticipated, Terry climbed up the nearby dune and spied through the Binocu-com, to see the slaves being forced by the Jackal guards to shifting Hi-Tech equipment into the Sphynx itself. Terry then said through the Binocu-com "Uh Bentley? Please tell me you're seeing this." Bentley then replied "Yeah, I am… The situation is worse than anticipated. Just find Sly first, he'll likely to have more intel on what's happening." Terry felt concern about the slaves and asked "What about the slaves? I can't just leave them to such harsh treatment…" Bentley then replied "I'll think of something, just find Sly!" Terry then noted in relent "Jeez, alright! No need for impatience, man…"

He then looked at the rows of tents and inquired "Hmm… Is there any piece of equipment for Topography Mapping?" There was almost a minute of silence from the receiver, when Bentley replied "Actually, yeah, there is. It's embedded in the Binocu-com; just throw it high into the air and it'll develop a detailed overhead map of the area." Terry noted as he checked the top of his Binocu-com "I'm guessing it's a miniature drone used for making snapshots overhead, which then reverts the resulting captures into a detailed overhead layout of the area?" There was some moments of silence, before Bentley replied "Yes… That's a highly accurate description you delivered. As far as members of the Cooper Gang, your level of understanding is not something to joke about."

Terry shook his head neutrally, before he threw the Miniature Scout Drone high in the air; he then peered closer into the air and sees a small, black dot halt in mid-air, making a blink each 5 seconds. Murray then said through the receiver "Wow! You've got a really good arm; were you a favourite pitcher in school?" Terry replied as he puts his hands in his pockets "Not really… I was just throwing rocks at empty cans on the picket fence back at home since first grade. Funny how time flies, considering…" Terry didn't get a response verbally through the receiver, which he assumed that Murray nodded with his lips pursed in interest.

He then noticed the Miniature Scout Drone levelling down towards him, which he held his hands out and it landed on them. He then inserted the drone into the Binocu-com and got a detailed Topographic Map of the Area, including the Giza Pyramid and Sphynx. Terry took a good look at the map and noticed a trail heading out close to the top-right corner of the area map. He then turned off the Binocu-com and said "I think I have an idea where Sly is… I'd better not run along ropes tethered along the tents, so I have less chance of being detected by the Aerial Sentry Drones." Carmelita then responded through the receiver "Good luck Terry… Be vigilant." Terry nodded, before he sneaked between the large amount of tents; due to careful assessment of the map, Terry went from one end of the map to the other in mere minutes.

His right ear then twitched and he turned his head to a large tent, which he supposed where the Pharaoh plans with his inner circle. He doesn't hear any voices inside or movement, so he went inside the large tent to see just a wooden table with a small pile of papers facing the entryway. Out of interest, he looked through the papers with various orders on it, when he turned to the last page and saw something that widened his eyes in shock. He then heard voices coming from behind outside and understood them almost instantaneously as the Pharaoh and his inner circle; he then turned the pages back to normal position, before realising he has no way of exit except through the entry way. His eyes widened as the Pharaoh opened up the tent, having a light hearted conversation with his cloaked Advisor, before they entered the tent. To his astonishment, they didn't notice him in the tent already, so the Pharaoh conversed with his Advisor.

The former said to his Advisor "I'll admit, I was rather sceptical with this plan and the unusually high-end equipment. But I'm surprised that we managed to overthrow the previous Pharaoh with a scarce amount of trouble." The cloaked advisor then replied, in a deep, malice voice that chilled Terry's spine "Trust me, my liege, your predecessor was a weak fool. With your awe-inspiring amount of boldness, your very own empire will be within your grasp. It's only an amount of time before the last of the equipment will be encased inside the Sphynx." Although he was chilled by the voice, Terry leered venomously at the Advisor, feeling that he's the true mastermind here.

The Pharaoh then noted "I'm glad you took a shine to help me rise into leadership, but I'm still puzzled as to why it was me who became a pharaoh and not you…" The advisor shook his head and replied "It was only due to my lack of leadership… You were aspiring to be the Pharaoh, so you have much more chances to be one instead of me." The Pharaoh nodded at his advisor, before he checked the table and asked "By the way, about this plan… how likely is it to fail, theoretically?" The advisor twiddled his thumbs, which were scaled, before replying "Well, if I had to say… if at least the equipment inside the Sphynx itself were sabotaged, the likelihood of success will be severely reduced. Don't fret though… I've personally made sure no one can interfere with my plan." Terry raised his brow, when the Pharaoh corrected his advisor "OUR plan." The Advisor then replied "Yes, of course. My apologies, your highness." The Pharaoh brushed it off, before he and his advisor left the tent, completely unaware that they were overheard.

Terry then thought to himself "_So the equipment inside the Sphynx is part of a plan to ensure that the Pharaoh will dominate his enemies? I'd better find Sly quick… Though I'm still puzzled as to why neither of them noticed—_" Terry then glanced down and was surprised to see his feet weren't in view; on a hunch, he raised his hands to look at them and realised they weren't visible, finishing in his mind "_Me._" Terry's hands then suddenly appeared before him, before he looked at his body in astonishment. The realisation suddenly dawned on him as he thought "_I… can turn… invisible? How? How is that even possible?!_" He looked at his hands, gripping them tight, before he looked at the report and thought "_I'd better scan the pages… I'm sure Bentley can come up with a solution._"

Terry then scanned each paper into his Binocu-com, before sending them to Bentley's Binocu-com. Bentley then contacted Terry and said in surprise "Terry! What you've sent me… It's astonishingly horrible! If they managed to succeed, the Pharaoh will surely dominate the entire region without fail! You must find Sly now, I'll figure out how to ruin this plan." Terry nodded, before he thought to himself "_The Topography Map indicates a trail not far from here… I wonder…_" He then perked his right ear near the Tent's entrance to ensure there isn't any passing guards or overhead Sentry Drones, before he went out of the tent and went to the trail, unaware that he's been noticed by someone else.


	10. Rookie and the Thief

Master of Thieves

Chapter 9: Rookie and the Thief

Terry came upon a faint footpath in the sand when he was at the edge of the encampment, then looked up and saw it leads into an area filled with ruins. Thinking that Sly might've set up a safehouse in that general direction, he followed the footpath up on the dune, excited to meet his distant cousin at last. As he crossed a couple of dunes, he took a swig from his canteen filled with filtered water, before he stopped in surprise when he saw the ruins were much larger than he thought. He then swallowed the mouthful of water and muttered under his breath "I'm sure Bentley would have a Field Day all for this expansive ruin alone… But sadly, I've got a prioritive task at hand."

Terry then stepped down the dune and went on some weathered stone flooring, which he suspects, due to the spacing on the damaged pillars, must likely be a courtyard or a similar space. He then noticed something on the sandstone wall ahead and went right over, to see Egyptian glyphs and symbols. He then noticed something conspicuous on the wall, what looks like dots and commas, as well as a faint dent on the wall. On a hunch, he took another look at the dots and commas and realised they were a sequence: [ *, **, *, ***, **]. He then grabbed his cane and tapped the wall once, then twice, then once, then three times and twice again. His hunch was correct, because the 'wall' was really a secret door leading into a room in the ruins.

He glanced over his shoulder, just in case someone's around, before he entered the room; he then saw, due to the lanterns seemingly recently lit and a wooden table with two chairs, that this room had been recently used. Terry then noticed a familiar book on the wooden table and took a closer look, before his eyes widened in the realisation that it was, indeed, the Thievius Raccoonus itself. Despite it not being thick compared to its present day self, there was no denying the Cooper Insignia on the front cover.

Terry then contacted Bentley and said "Bentley… I found the safehouse." Bentley then replied through the transceiver "You have? Is Sly there?" Terry noted with pursed lips "I… don't know. But I did found the recently made Thievius Raccoonus." There was a long pause, which Terry supposed Bentley was astonished to hear the news, before Terry said "Bentley, are you okay?" Carmelita then responded "Bentley's using his puffer; I guess you chancing upon the Thievius Raccoonus took his breath away… literally." Terry puts his free hand on his hip and noted "Yeah… I kinda figured that… I'd best find Sly now." Carmelita then responded "10-4, Terry. Just be careful." Terry nodded, before he left the safehouse; as he stepped on the weathered stone floor, he had a feeling something was wrong.

Slytunkhamen was perched just above the safehouse entrance, gripping his cane to attack Terry, when the latter's left ear twitched as a small portion of sand fell onto the stone flooring; Slytunkhamen then jumped towards Terry, who evaded out of the way, before he looked at Sly's Egyptian Ancestor, who slowly stood up and looked at him venomously. Slytunkhamen then said as he readied his cane "I don't need you to report to the Pharaoh… You're going down." Terry then replied, albeit nervously "Can we talk about this, please?" Slytunkhamen then shook his head before saying "The only talk you'll get is my cane in your scrawny arm." Terry blankly looked at Slytunkhamen, before saying "Uh oh."

Slytunkhamen swung his cane at Terry, who fluently dodged each swung, horizontally and vertically, before Slytunkhamen jumped and prepared to slam his cane onto Terry. Seeing no other option, he used Thieves Rush to evade the attack and stood behind the legendary Cooper, who was confused as to where the 'spy' was. Terry then cleared his throat, which Slytunkhamen turned around and is surprised to see him behind him by a few feet. Slytunkhamen then said, wearing an astonished expression "What was that you just did?" Terry rubbed the back of his head, before replying "Honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing when I first did that; heck I didn't even noticed I was moving like a blur when I used it."

Slytunkhamen nodded at him, before he took a closer look at him and said "Wait… you're not working with Pharaoh Ramses, are you?" Terry then replied "Nope… Although I saw him in his tent earlier, talking with his advisor." Slytunkhamen looked surprised, before he said "How? There's no way you can hear their discussion in the tent without being detected… well, maybe if you went invisible, you can." Terry then made a noise that sounds awkward, before he glanced up at Slytunkhamen and replied "Yeah… about that, when Ramses and his Advisor entered the tent, I… somehow turned invisible." Slytunkhamen looked surprised at Terry, before the latter continued "I'm aware it's really unbelievable, but I swear, I literally turned invisible; I even looked at my hands and was astonished they weren't visible to me."

Slytunkhamen then took a good look at Terry's face, before he nodded and replied "Alright then… You're no liar, that's for utmost certainty. Sorry for attacking you, by the way…" Terry waved his hand in dismissal and noted "I don't blame you for being cautious; it's generally a virtue to being a thief, after all." Slytunkhamen shrugged at Terry, before a thought came through his mind. He then asked Terry "Speaking of Pharaoh Ramses, when you were in the tent, did you happen to come across something that explains the Sentry Drones, as you and my descendant call it?" Terry's ears and head perked almost immediately at that question and replied questionably "Your descendant? You mean… Sly's nearby?" Slytunkhamen nodded uneasily at Terry, before asking "How do you know Sly, exactly?" Terry rubbed the back of his head while wearing a broad smile with his eyes closed and his teeth bared; he then replied "Oh… it's kind of a compromising deal. See, believe it or not I'm his—"

The sound of a cane being swung caused Terry to duck, with a follow-up swing from below prompting him to backflip over the attacker. When he landed behind the attacker, Terry looked up and saw, to his surprise, Sly wielding his father's cane as he looked hostile at Terry, unknowing they're somewhat related. Though considering he looks almost the same as Sly, the situation has gotten more complicated. Sly then said venomously to Terry "Who are you? Why are you here?" Terry puts up his hands and replied calmly "Easy, man… I don't mean you any harm." Sly pointed his cane towards Terry and noted "That's EXACTLY what a spy for the Pharaoh would say… you may not look the part, but you definitely have the skills for one." Terry then slowly stood up, his hands still in front of him, and replied "Look, man, I am NOT in league with that guy. I'm only here to help you and Slytunkhamen against Pharaoh Ramses, I swear."

Sly then raised his brow slightly and questioned "Before you betray us and leave us for dead?" Terry then blurted out in defence "No way! Why in the hell would I leave my distant cousin and his ancestors for dead?" Sly and Slytunkhamen widened their eyes in astonishment, as Terry realised he accidentally revealed his relation with Sly. Sly then asked, still astonished at the accidental revelation "Wait… you're my… distant… cousin?" Terry nodded at Sly uncomfortably, before the latter continued "From a good look of you, that actually explains a lot. But why are you here in Ancient Egypt, anyway?" Terry puts his hands in his pockets whilst looking down uncomfortably, wondering if Sly would believe him if he went back in time with the Time Warp Prototype made by Bentley; the serious look in Sly's face caused Terry to tell the truth to his distant cousin.

Terry then exhaled a sigh, before he replied to Sly truthfully "Bentley, Murray and Carmelita sought me out when I arrived in Paris, realising I'm related to you distantly. After some training, we heard you S.O.S. call from your Binocu-Com and I went back in time with a prototype, hand-held time travel device that I dubbed 'Time Warp'." Sly took a few moments to process Terry's explanation, before he said "Alright… Sorry for attacking you, by the way." Terry shrugged at Sly and replied "It happens. Experience-wise, I don't exactly put it against you for being suspicious." Sly made a small smile, before he, Terry and Slytunkhamen went into the Safehouse.

As Terry entered before Sly did, the latter asked "As far as the dub goes, isn't that from 'The Rocky Horror House Movie'?" Terry replied with an amused grin "Could you blame me? Whenever I hear the word 'time', I keep on thinking 'Time Warp'; it went up to the point that the song got stuck in my head for a week, but I'm not sick of it." Both Sly and Terry chortled at the little humorous, but true, tale Terry explained, before they went in the Safehouse as the door slid down behind them tight.


	11. Ancestor's Course - Slytunkhamen

Master of Thieves

Chapter 10: Ancestor's Course – Slytunkhamen

(Gameplay Warning)

No sooner when Sly and Terry entered the safehouse, they saw Slytunkhamen press a stone brick into the wall, revealing a hidden staircase going deep below the ruins. Having a feeling he's going to be tested, Terry followed Slytunkhamen down the staircase with Sly right behind him; when they stepped off the bottom step after 2 minutes of descent, the three thieves emerged into what at first looks to be an abandoned pit, but Terry's well aware that looks can be deceiving.

Terry was right, as Slytunkhamen made an immediate left turn and pressed a sandstone slab into the wall, revealing a hidden observation block on Slytunkhamen's immediate right and an obstacle course with 2 flashlight guards from the centre of the pit. Seeing that he has yet to know Slytunkhamen's Invisibility move, despite using it by accident, Sly joined with his ancestor to watch Terry in his training. Terry looked at his cousin and Slytunkhamen, before he stared at the course and took a deep breath, before exhaling slowly and stepping into the course.

As soon as he stepped onto the course, Slytunkhamen instructed him "Alright, my apprentice, you're well aware that you used Invisibility to attain useful intel on what Ramses and his Advisor are planning to do. However, it was an involuntary use, despite that you avoided detection. In this course, you need to use it more voluntarily in order to evade detection from the guard's sights." Terry nodded, before a thought came across his mind.

He then asked Slytunkhamen "Is the flashlight guards down here in league with Ramses or are they rogue?" Slytunkhamen then responded "No need to worry; despite working for Ramses, they actually prefer his predecessor more. Now pay attention: In order to activate the Invisibility skill, press R1." Terry nodded, before he disappeared at right where he's standing, much to both Slytunkhamen's and Sly's appraisal. Slytunkhamen then said "Good show! No wonder neither Ramses or his Advisor saw you in the tent, you blend in quite remarkably! Now, to render yourself invisible again, press R1 again." In a blink of an eye, Terry became visible again, much to his amazement, but not as much as Sly's and Slytunkhamen's joy.

Slytunkhamen then said "Amazing! Just amazing! Now, for the course: Proceed from one end of the pit to the other while avoiding detection from the flashlight guards. Be advised, for this test, you don't need to take them out, just avoid being seen by them." Terry nodded at Slytunkhamen, before he proceeded through the course; a few feet before being in the flashlight's gaze, Terry turned invisible and snuck past the flashlight guards easily, before stopping at the end of the pit and went visible again.

He then waved at Sly and Slytunkhamen, who gave him a well-deserved thumbs up and said "Well done, Terry! Well done indeed!" Terry made a broad smile at them, before the flashlight guard closest to him went behind a pile of wooden crates and carried a straw dummy into the pit. Terry is curious on the straw dummy, when Slytunkhamen instructed "In addition to avoiding detection, you can also use the Invisibility skill to take out an unaware guard out of the picture. When you're behind a guard while invisible, use the /_\ button and the [ ] Button at the same time to take 'im out. Try it out on the straw dummy."

Terry nodded at Slytunkhamen, before he went invisible and approached the dummy, before he made a leg sweep and slammed it to the ground hard enough to knock out a guard, but silent enough that guards within 20 feet won't hear the commotion. Slytunkhamen then said in appraisal "Amazing, my apprentice! Do well like that and you'll be a Master Thief in no time!" Terry twirled his cane, before throwing it up high in the air and catching it flawlessly, impressing Sly and Slytunkhamen even further.

Slytunkhamen then gesture Terry to him, which he did after holstering his cane; Slytunkhamen then led Terry and Sly back up the staircase and into the Safehouse, before sitting around the table. Slytunkhamen then said to Terry "I must say, I'm rarely impressed… I mean, it took me around 2-3 weeks to perfect the Invisibility skill, yet you achieved it perfectly in no less than ONE attempt. I am certain, with your help, we can thwart Ramses' plan… if you are in." Terry pursed his lips, before he replied in a warm smile "Who'd say I'd refuse to help? Between the slaves, the high-tech equipment, the sudden shift of leadership and my distant cousin's predicament, there's no way that I'm going to let it slide. Count me in."

Terry received a clap on the back by Slytunkhamen and shared a fist-bump with Sly, when his Binocu-com clicked on and Bentley's voice said through the transceiver "Terry? Have you found him? Have you found Sly?" Terry looked at Sly's and Slytunkhamen's astonished faces, before he turned on the Binocu-com's transceiver onto 'speaker' and replied "10-4 Bentley; I found him." They heard a sigh of relief from the other end, before Bentley said "That's great news… that's GREAT! How is he? Is he alright?" Terry glanced at Sly, who replied "I've been through worse Bentley, don't worry."

There was some moments of silence, before they heard thumping on the other end of the receiver and Carmelita's voice shouted through the transceiver "Sly? Sly, is that really you?" Terry and Slytunkhamen cringed from the noise, before Sly replied "Yeah, it's me! I'm glad to hear you again, gorgeous." Carmelita noted, which Terry supposed she's blushing a little "You too, Ringtail…" There was some movement on the other end, before Bentley said "As much as I hate to ruin the tearful reunion, I've came up with an elaborate plan." Terry looked up at Sly and Slytunkhamen, who nodded at him, before he asked "Alright, what should we do Bentley?"


	12. Stealth in the Sphynx

Master of Thieves

Chapter 11: Stealth in the Sphynx

Bentley explained that he needs more reconnaissance photos, but the catch is that they must be taken in the Sphynx, where the hi-tech equipment is being stored. After a few minutes of discussing, it was decided that Terry will venture into the Sphynx, due to his Thief Rush ability and quick mastery of the Invisibility skill. Although security inside will be tight, Terry knew that it's important to get more information. So he nodded at his cousin and Slytunkhamen, before he headed off to the Sphynx; on the way there, he noticed Ramses and his advisor heading to the same direction, so he turned invisible and followed them from behind.

He then heard their conversation and picked up Ramses saying to his advisor "…in the Sphynx, the hi-tech equipment isn't a priority?" The advisor then replied "My apologies, your highness. But I can assure you, what I put in aside from the hi-tech equipment, is one-of-a-kind. No warrior, no matter how skilled, won't destroy it, assuming they managed to get past ALL of the defences." Terry looked unnerved at the discussion, but it doesn't change his primary goal, so he followed Ramses and his advisor into the Sphynx, fortunate that he wasn't detected yet.

After following them down a flight of sandstone stairs, Terry is amazed at how spacious the inside of the Sphynx really is, when Ramses asked his advisor "I must pardon my scepticism, but what is the high-priority object you mentioned?" The Advisor then pointed out to the massive Anubis statue at the main chamber at the end of the hallway, which intrigued both Ramses and Terry, although the latter also felt unease at it. Having a notion it's not ideal to enter the main chamber where the Anubis statue is, Terry looked around for a crack to peek in; fortunately, there was a thin, yet noticeable crack concealed by a pile of wooden crates.

Checking over his shoulders to make sure no guards are coming, he quietly shifted a crate and peeked through the crack to see Ramses and The Advisor looking at the Anubis Statue. He then overheard them discussing, with Ramses inquiring "This statue of Anubis is really detailed, but how is it of the highest priority?" The Advisor wheeled Ramses to the wall and shouted "Bring in the slave!" A small hole from the wall suddenly slid open and a steel cage rose up, holding a scrawny, male lizard slave inside.

It then swung open by itself, which Terry supposed it must've been done electronically, before the lizard slave stumbled out of the cage and fell weakly onto the ground. The Advisor then snapped his scaly fingers, which the Anubis statue's eyes glowed amber, before looking around the room. When it detected the slave, it's gaze turned red and, although the crack wasn't big enough to show what happened, it swiftly swatted the slave into the sandstone wall, killing him instantly. Terry was horrified to witness what transpired, when he saw Ramses and The Advisor left the opposing room through a hidden door.

Terry took what he saw a bit to process, before he grabbed the Binocu-Com and took photos of the security leading to the main chamber, before using the cam cord to slip through the crack and took a photo of the Anubis Statue and where he saw the Hidden Door, before retracting the cam cord and sending the photos to Bentley's and Sly's Binocu-coms.

He then contacted them via conference call and asked "Alright guys, what do you think of the defences?" It took a few moments, before Bentley replied "The cameras, motion sensors and laser grids are easy enough to disable; though I'm still sceptical of the Anubis Statue…" Sly then replied "I dunno Bentley… The Anubis Statue feels like some déjà vu… remember, back in Prague, you warned me on the attack robot posed as a water tower, but I was sceptical about it? This feels like that, but inversed."

Terry recalled through reading a Geology Textbook back in high school that Prague is often under lightning storms, so he noted to the guys "Well, unlike what happened in Prague, I'm having a clairvoyant feeling that the only way out of the main chamber is through the Anubis Statue; fat chance of using electricity though, that statue is protected in smooth marble." There was some moments of silence, before Bentley replied "I see your point… Get back to the safehouse for now, we really need to think this through." Terry nodded, before he snuck back out the entrance and went back to the safehouse, having a feeling that, somehow, it won't be just the Anubis Statue he'll have to fight.


	13. Operation: Jackal Swatter

Master of Thieves

Chapter 12: Operation: Jackal Swatter

Minutes after he arrived in the Safehouse, Terry, Sly and Slytunkhamen discussed the Sphynx's Interior with Bentley over Terry's Binocu-Com's Transceiver. Bentley then said, after acknowledging the security and 'live' Anubis Statue "After assessing the photographs of the reconnaissance photos, I've come up with a detailed plan that'll require the three of you." Terry, Sly and Slytunkhamen glanced at each other, before they nodded with determined looks. Sly then asked Bentley "Alright Bentley, run us through it."

_**(Slideshow Plays)**_

"_Well, as you are well aware, if you 3 just charge in, you'll definitely be detected by the Sentry Drones. So here's the Plan: Terry will use the Invisibility skill to get close to the Sentry Drones and disable them; it's a high priority to take the ones by the entrance, or else the Operation will be a bust. Second, Sly and Slytunkhamen will take out the guards overlooking the slaves' encampment, which will hinder the Pharaoh's efficiency greatly. After that's done, the three of you will venture into the Sphynx, disable the security within the interior, and 'destroy' the Anubis Statue, foiling the Pharaoh's plan._"

_**(Slideshow Ends)**_

Although it was his first time on a complex job, Terry is willing to help Sly with anything, even if he risks his life to save him. Bentley then added "I call this plan Operation: Jackal Swatter. Now, if this plan goes as planned, the Pharaoh's plan to rise as the new regiment will be shattered." Terry nodded alongside Sly and Slytunkhamen, before a thought came across his mind and asked Bentley "There's something I have to ask: What do we do, if either Ramses or his Advisor intervene?" Bentley replied, although with slightly less confidence in his voice "Well, the best course of action would be to knock them out… There's some questions that needed to be answered."

Terry nodded in agreement, before he looked at Sly and Slytunkhamen in concern; they told him during the discussion with Bentley that the Pharaoh's Advisor spotted them on top of the pillar, before sending a Drone to prompt a full alert stage. Despite it, they nodded at Terry in return, ready to initiate Operation: Jackal Swatter; Terry then said to Bentley "Okay Bentley, we're off to initiate Operation: Jackal Swatter. I'll radio in if there's a complication." Bentley then replied "10-4, Terry. Just watch yourselves now."

Terry, Sly and Slytunkhamen nodded in unison, before they grabbed their equipment and left to initiate Operation: Jackal Swatter. Before they went into the vicinity of the Sphynx, Terry gave Sly and Slytunkhamen ear pieces and instructed them to inform him if there's a problem or if they finished their task. Slytunkhamen was puzzled at the device, but he puts it in his ear nethertheless, before Terry bolted off to the Sphynx.

He then went invisible and took care of a Sentry Drone that the Advisor sent onto Sly and Slytunkhamen earlier, before climbing up onto the Sphynx's back and disabled the drone circling its neck. When he checked the entrance, he noticed that the 3 Sentry Drones are positioned in spots that makes taking them out in one move impossible. He then came up with an idea and grabbed a nearby sandbag, before throwing it down near the Sphynx's right paw, attracting the drones to the disturbance. As they were about to initiate a search sweep, Terry destroyed them by pushing a spare stone block off the edge, crushing them.

He let out an effortful puff, considering how big the block was, when Sly said through the transceiver "Terry, how's it going on the Sentry Drones?" Terry replied, after letting loose his muscles "Let's just say, it'll take more than spot welding to patch the ones by the Sphynx's entrance." Sly let out an amused snort, before Terry asked "How's the guard rustling going?" Sly then quipped in response "Well… I guess in a way, they're behind bars for holding hostages." Terry sniggered in amusement, before Sly added "We're coming to you, pal. Hold position until we arrive."

Terry nodded, before he climbed down to the entrance and took another look at the photo of the Anubis Statue within the Main Chamber. He then noticed that the statue's feet is recent compared to the rest of the body, before he thought to himself "_The Bigger They Are… The Harder They Fall._" Terry then heard Sly's and Slytunkhamen's footsteps nearby and saw them rushing to him, before he asked them "Ready to head into the Sphynx? I have an idea on how to deal with the Anubis Statue." Sly and Slytunkhamen nodded in confirmation, before they headed down into the Sphynx.

Anticipating the motion sensors, laser grids and cameras to be on, they were surprised to see that they were all turned off. As they walked to the Main Chamber without one Security Device operational, Sly asked Terry "How are they?" Terry glanced at Sly with a puzzled look, before Sly added "I mean, how is Bentley, Murray and Carmelita doing?" Terry then replied "Oh… They didn't lose hope in looking for you, especially Carmelita. When I arrived in Paris, I wound up defeating Muggshot with an overhead disco ball and the Thief Rush ability." Sly smiled at the thought of his gang never relenting their search for him, even Carmelita herself, when they entered the Main Chamber. Like in the photo, the towering Anubis Statue stood still at the end of the chamber, before Sly noted "It's bigger than I thought… I think we might be in a disadvantageous situation." Terry nodded at Sly uneasily, when a menacing voice replied "You thought right… Sly Cooper."

Terry, Sly and Slytunkhamen were startled by the sudden voice, when they noticed the Pharaoh's Advisor stepping from behind the Anubis Statue. Sly then gripped his father's cane and inquired "Who are you? How did you know who I am?" The Advisor let out a hollowed snort and replied enigmatically "All you need to know… is that I'll see to your death in my master's legacy. That means… battling my creation." The Advisor then snapped his finger, resulting in the Anubis Statue quivering to life; Terry and Slytunkhamen looked up at the Statue as The Advisor went to where the hidden door is. As Sly rushed to The Advisor, the Anubis Statue's eyes glowed red and swung its right arm downward to Sly; Terry rushed over to Sly and pulled him back just inches from where the Anubis Statue would crush him. Sly was surprised that Terry saved him from certain death, when The Advisor pressed a Sandstone slab, opening the hidden door; he then said to the Cooper Gang "If you survive this, be assured we will meet again."

Like a gale of wind, he went through the hidden door as the animated Anubis Statue grabbed a large sickle behind it, before twirling it in experience. Terry then subtly looked down at its feet and saw a faint line at its ankles, which separated the feet colour from the rest of the body colour. The Anubis Statue then snarled at the three thieves, before it swung the sickle horizontally at them; instinctively, they jumped to avoid the attack, when it made a follow-up vertical swing with its left fist, prompting them to evade to the side as it made impact on the ground.

Terry, Sly and Slytunkhamen landed after evading, with their left paws on the floor as their cane paws extended out while holding their signature canes; Terry then noticed a slightly revealed trap door that used to hold an earlier slave, before he hatched an idea. He then stood up and kicked the sand over the trap door, much to the puzzlement of Sly and Slytunkhamen. Terry then turned to the Anubis Statue and taunted it "HEY! Where were you built, at a petty quarry?" Sly and SLytunkhamen shook their paws in dismissal, but the Anubis Statue, taking the offence seriously, raised its right foot and stomped it onto Terry, who dodged it at the last second and got it stuck on the trap door. The Anubis Statue then struggled to unstick its foot out of the trap door, before it made a strong tug and got free, though its foot was still stuck below the trap door; also, it was forced to hop on its left foot in order to continue fighting the thieves.

It then turned to Terry, making an amused sneer, when the latter used his cane to loosen a rope knot above him and said "Heads up." The Anubis Statue raised its left brow, before it turned its head as a bundle of sandbags hit its face; it then fell backwards from the surprising impact as Terry shouted "TIIIIMMMMMBEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!" It then collapsed onto the floor, resulting in its marble body crack so much, it crumbled to reveal a large automative clockwork mechanism underneath the marble covering; Unfortunately, a few intact pieces jammed into the mechanism, resulting it to become comatosive in mere moments.

Sly and Slytunkhamen looked in surprise, before they slowly turned their heads to Terry, who holstered his cane on his back. He then said to them "Let's go… That Advisor can't be far ahead." Sly and Slytunkhamen nodded at Terry blankly, before they went over to the hidden door; Terry then pressed the stoneslab, opening the hidden door, before leading the two Coopers up a long flight of stairs.


	14. Battle at the Pyramid

Master of Thieves

Chapter 13: Battle at the Pyramid

Terry, Sly and Slytunkhmen climbed for what felt like an hour, when they saw rays of light seeping through a trap door; anticipating a fight, Terry peeked through the trap door by raising the right panel by an inch to see that it was a large, tidied up throne room. Even though it seemed clear, he told his cousin and Slytunkhamen to be vigilant, before they proceeded into the throne room.

As Terry expected, he saw Pharaoh Ramses emerged from behind the throne, with his Advisor emerged from behind a Sandstone-made pillar. Pharaoh Ramses then chuckled before saying "You Coopers are so predictable… Did you really think you'd get away scot-free? No… I don't think so." Sly and Slytunkhamen leered at Ramses venomously as Terry perked his ears up to listen for so much as a grain of sand to move. The Pharaoh's Advisor then exclaimed "Get them, men!" Like clockwork, 2 dozens of guards jumped out of their hiding places and rushed towards the thieves.

As a guard charged towards Terry, he countered by catching the arm with his cane-head, before throwing him towards 2 incoming guards, while Sly and Slytunkahmen held off 6 guards simultaneously. A guard wielding a scimitar charged towards an unaware Sly, which Terry made a leg-sweep and kicked him in the air with a backflip kick, before shouting to Sly "Take him out, pal!" Sly then forced back the 3 guards, before jumping towards the airborne guard and slammed him onto the ground as Terry air-kicked a charging guard out cold before landing with his back towards Slytunkhamen.

After taking out half of the guards, the rest surrounded the Coopers with their scimitars raised; Terry readied his cane, prepared to go down fighting, when he noticed that his cane-head had some miniature hinges at the angled corners. Out of instinct, he flicked his cane and saw its head suddenly went straight, resulting it to be a Cane/Staff hybrid. As the guards closed in on them, Terry swept them off their feet while Sly and Slytunkhamen jumped to avoid the attack, before the latter two turned to Terry and saw his Cane had somehow transformed into a Staff.

The guards then got back up while Terry made a casual aside to Sly and Slytunkhamen about something; as the guards readied their weapons, they were suddenly knocked out in one full 360 degree attack. Pharaoh Ramses and his Advisor were surprised to witness the three Coopers taking down 3 dozen guards swiftly, as well as their synchronised teamwork; Slytunkhamen then let go of Sly's ankles as the latter let go of Terry's, who had flicked his Staff back into a Cane.

They then stood firmly as they looked hostile at Pharaoh Ramses and his Advisor, before the former said "I must admit… what you did there was rather impressive. But know this: I will end your pitiful lives, no matter what!" The Advisor then enigmatically responded "Not if someone else beats you to the punch…" Surprisingly, the Pharaoh's Advisor knocked out Ramses at the back of his head, before stepping forward and adding to the thieves "He gives great speeches, I'll give him that. But trust me, he wasn't the one who gave the orders around here… I was."

Sly, Slytunkhamen and Terry synchromatically gripped their Canes in fury, before Sly asked the Advisor "Who are you? How do you know my name?" The Advisor took a moment to think, before he responded calmly "I suppose you should know… after all, my master is hell-bent on ending your life… or he WAS, before you ended his own." Sly looked a little startled, before the Advisor removed his black hood, revealing himself to be a deep-brown scaled bipedal drake, with black slits in his yellow eyes. Sly, Slytunkhamen and Terry looked astonished at the Drake, when he tore off his robe to reveal a chest harness connected to a pair of black jeans and cream webbing on his wings.

The Drake then continued, taking advantage of the Cooper's astonishment "I… am a loyal follower of Clockwerk named Drake; obviously due to me being a dragon and all." Terry nodded and pointed out in response "Yeah… that, we can figure." Drake shrugged at Terry, as Sly was still processing that a loyal servant to his family's worst foe was stubbornly-bent on ending the Cooper Family Tree. Drake then made a malicious smirk, before he spread his wings and flew into the air while saying "Like my master, I will not stop until your body is limp and lifeless. THAT… is your legacy."

Drake then made a swoop towards Sly, who was tackled out of the way by Terry and brung back to his senses. Terry then said to Sly "Sly, sorry about that, but we've got a serious situation right now." Sly looked up at Terry, before he nodded; as he was being helped up by Terry, they were forced back by Drake's wings. Drake then swooped Sly into his feet and dived towards Slytunkhamen next, when Terry jumped onto his back and pulled him upwards towards the ceiling, smashing through the top of the pyramid. Sly, who has both his arms grasped by Drake's feet, turned up and saw Terry pulling Drake upwards, before boosting off the latter's shoulders and dove towards him with his cane at the ready.

As Drake turned to an incoming Terry, Sly swung his legs to distract Drake, who looked down at him and shouted "Knock it off, or I swear I'll drop you right now!" Sly then looked up and made an amused smile, which Drake looked puzzled at him; when he looked up again, Terry tackled Drake down towards the pyramid and repeatedly whack him with his cane as they fell down. Terry then shouted furiously while repeatedly hitting Drake "STAY… AWAY… FROM… MY… COUSIN!"

After he made a strong horizontal swing onto Drake's head, the latter lost his grip on Sly and fell above Terry and Drake with little consciousness. Terry looked up at Sly in panic, before he looked down at the pyramid and had an idea: He boosted off a disoriented Drake to grasp Sly's right arm and dove towards Drake again. Sly then widened his eyes and turned his head to see them diving towards the pyramid; he then turned to Terry and shouted through the fall "Terry, what are you doing?!" Terry replied to Sly, focusing on Drake "Something I like to call 'Sandboarding'."

Sly raised a brow, before they landed on Drake just feet before they landed on the pyramid; they slid on him all the way down to the Sphinx, before they jumped off and used their canes to ride down a rope down to the Sphinx's left paw. When they landed on their feet cat-like, they saw Drake crashing onto the Sphinx's head and bounced off it to land face-first in front the entrance; they then saw the Sphinx's nose cracking before it fell off, leaving the well-known Sphinx landmark they're aware of back in the present.

It took them a few moments to catch their breath, before Terry said "Yeah… a Sphinx without the nose looks better for me, personally." Sly looked at Terry in confusion, considering what they had just went through, before he looked up at the Sphinx head and replied "Actually, now that you pointed it out, it actually looks better without it." Terry shook his head neutrally, when they heard Drake stir awake in a painful grunt; they then looked at him and saw him painfully got up, spitting out a tooth, before turning his head at them. He then made an amused grin and said "Seems I underestimated you, like my master. I assure you, however, we will meet again." Drake then pressed the sphere on where his chest harness intersects, before disappearing in a white light.

Sly and Terry then eased their shoulders, when they heard footsteps behind them and readied their canes, to see it was only Slytunkhamen. Sly and Terry then put away their canes, before the latter asked Slytunkhamen "Where's Ramses?" Slytunkhamen replied "Well… I got him locked in a steel cage inside the throne room; once I get the freed slaves, he'll face their wrath as a karmic punishment." Sly and Terry smiled at the former's ancestor, when Sly began to glow white; Terry saw this and tried to grab Sly's hand, but it mysteriously went through it. Sly and Terry looked up in shock and the latter screamed as the former was dragged into a Time Rift "SLY!" Sly was then sucked into the Time Rift, before it vanished as sudden as it appeared.

Terry was devastated to witness this, looking down in complete shock, before Slytunkhamen gently placed his arm on Terry's right shoulder in order to comfort him. Terry looked over his shoulder and smiled a little from Slytunkhamen's consoling, before he turned around and shook Slytunkhamen's paw with a warm smile. He then excused himself and radioed Bentley on the Binocu-Com "Bentley… You want to good news or the bad news?" Bentley replied through the transceiver "Let's go with the bad news first…" Terry sighed, knowing that Bentley would ask him the bad news first.

He then swallowed and explain "Sly got sucked into a Time Rift and he and I found out that a loyal follower to Clockwerk named Drake is hell-bent on ending his life." There was moments of pause, which Terry knew that Bentley and most likely Murray and Carmelita were astonished at what Terry explained. Terry then said "The good news is that Ramses is locked up in a steel cage and Sly and I held back Drake, forcing him to flee… for now." There was some silence still from the transceiver, before Bentley said in a blank tone "Okay… At least you helped Sly… Come back now, we need to think this through." Terry nodded, before he cut off the call and used the Time Warp to travel back to the present, speeding through a white tunnel for a minute before he landed on the Modern Cooper Hideout floor hard.

Terry staggered on the spot as Bentley, Murray and Carmelita witness him coming back, before noting "I still need to get used to travel through time… I'm not queasy or anything, it's just how fast you go through time itself." Bentley pursed his lips and nodded a little, recalling that Time Jump from the Wild West to the Stone Age moments after defeating Sheriff Toothpick, before replying "Tell us what happened before Sly went into the Time Rift… As much detail as you can give."


	15. A Cousin's Lament

Master of Thieves

Chapter 14: A Cousin's Lament

It took almost an hour for Terry to explain what happened in Ancient Egypt 4 times, mainly due to the Gang's still taking in what happened to Sly after fighting Drake. After he finished for the 4th time, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita still wore astonished expressions, before Terry said suddenly "Please don't make me explain it all over again, okay? I was there, even though it sounds unbelievable to the normal person, and I still can't believe it… But even so, I'm not giving up… I won't give up on finding Sly, no matter what." Bentley, Murray and Carmelita were surprised at Terry's unflinching resolve to find and help Sly, before they nodded at him with renewed determination.

Terry then looked at the clock and saw it was 9:45pm, before he let loose his muscles and noted "I don't know about you guys… but I just want to turn in. I'm sure you guys feel the same when you went into a similar fire like this… Though I must admit, I don't know if you guys have a sleeping bag or a spare mattress or even a futon for the tenancy." Bentley, Murray and Carmelita glanced at each other, before Bentley replied "Well… we do have a sleeping bag inside the Cooper Van, but that's not where we want you to sleep in." Terry raised his brow in puzzlement, before Bentley switched his wheelchair to hover and gestured the former to follow him up a flight of stairs to a room marked 'Sly'.

Feeling rather saddened, Terry followed Bentley into Sly's room and saw it was… okay, he thought it might've got cobwebs throughout the room, but it was kept clean. He looked around the room and saw a picture of an 8-yr old Sly smiling with his mother and father, which Terry thought was rather enlightening and sad at the same time. On the other bedside drawer, he saw pictures of Sly with Bentley and Murray and another with him kissing Carmelita as she held a rose while wearing a surprised look. Terry then held up one of the photos and noted with a gentle smile "Happier times, I guess…" Bentley wheeled around and saw Terry looking at one of the photographs, before he replied with a warm smile "Yeah… Sly has always been trying to find the lighter side of things, even with a quip." Terry smiled at that statement, before he puts the photograph back on the bedside drawer.

He then grabbed his duffel bag and searched for his pyjamas, before grabbing them from the left end of the bag and held them under his right arm. As he went into the bathroom for a towel before having a shower, he heard the door being knocked on. Carmelita's voice then said "Hey Terry, sorry to bother you, but I must ask you something…" Terry made a silent sigh, before he replied "Alright Carmelita, what is it you want to ask?"

Carmelita gave a breath, before she asked Terry "Do you solely care about Sly, or do you also care about the rest of us?" Terry was rather shocked to hear Carmelita ask that, before he responded "I do care about Sly's safety as much as you, Bentley and Murray, but I am also willing to watch your backs at the same time. If a plan was compromised and you guys are in peril, I will assure you I will help out any way I can." Carmelita felt relieved that Terry isn't fully focused on having Sly's back, before she heard the shower run and Terry whistling to the tune of 'Jailhouse Rock'. Carmelita pursed her lips and nodded slightly before she went downstairs to the living area and bids Bentley and Murray a good night before she departed to her apartment.

It was 10:10pm when Terry went into Sly's bedroom and sat on the left end of the bed; even though he arrived in the city hours ago, it felt like it was yesterday already. He then looked at Sly's photo with his parents, which made him think of what his parents is doing right now. He then felt his eyelids growing heavier in fatigue, so he went under the donah and rested his head on the left pillow, looking up at the ceiling as he pondered on when Sly had ended up now. His brain then told him "_Whenever your cousin ended up, you'll most likely meet another of his ancestors too; you can be assured of that._" Terry pursed his lips at the heavily valid point, before he turned his head to the side and slowly went to sleep.

At 7:45am the next morning, Terry woke up to the sound of big heavy footsteps coming from the hallway, which he supposed is Murray coming to wake him up. As he stretched his arms while making a yawn, Murray knocked on the door and asked "Hey Terry, you awake yet?" Terry rubbed the back of his head with a drowsy look, before he replied "Yeah Murray… I just woke up a few seconds ago."

He then let loose his muscles, before he asked "Why do you ask, though? Is there a problem or something?" Murray replied "Nah, just wanted to grab a meal at that diner…" Terry raised his brow and inquired "Which one?" Murray replied, although Terry swore he heard an amused chortle "The one with the opossum waitress that fancies you, what else?" Terry was surprised that Murray of all individuals was aware that Pearl fancies him, because he was flustered from his cheeks to his nose.

He then said quickly "Won't be long!" as he bolted to his duffel bag and quickly changed into some clothing before he puts his sleepwear on the bed. When he exited the bedroom, Murray was leaning on the wall to his left, tapping his right foot on the wooden floor while staring up at the ceiling. Murray then turned his head and asked "So, you ready to go, little buddy?" Terry made a smile and replied "10-4, big buddy… 10-4."

Minutes later, Murray drove himself and Terry to the diner, when the latter saw Pearl taking an order from a male badger. Murray noticed him looking at Pearl, before he brought him back to his senses and gestured him to the diner, which Terry nodded. They then left the Cooper Van and went inside the diner just to hear Pearl say to the male badger "I told you, I'm not on the menu! Will you just back off?" The male badger slammed his fists on the table and replied as he advanced to Pearl "Why you ungrateful little…"

As he threw a punch at Pearl, Terry caught his arm with a firm grip and noted "Now that is hardly polite of you…" The male Badger gritted his teeth and growled at Terry, who swiftly dodged a punch and laid the male Badger out on the floor. Terry then crouched beside the badger, who said in obvious pain "What's wrong with getting a little 'exotic' taste, huh? Why won't you let me?" Terry pointed out in response with a stern glare "First off, it's because you are seriously wrong in the head; second, this is a city diner, NOT a countryside bar." Pearl held back an amused chuckle from the latter reason, when Murray grabbed the male Badger by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the diner.

When the door closed, Pearl let out an amusing laugh and wiped an amusing tear from her left eye, when Terry turned to her with a sly smile. Pearl then looked at Terry with a blush and lunged at him into a hug, saying softly "Thank you… Thank you so much." Terry was blushing at the hug, before he wrapped his arms around Pearl's back and replied "No problem, Pearl… I wasn't going to let that sicko hurt you." Pearl then closed her eyes with a smile as Terry did the same thing too, before they slowly backed their heads and touched their noses with a deep blush. They then opened their eyes a little and looked at each other in infatuation, before Pearl asked him "So, what can I get you, sweetie?" Terry smiled broadly before he placed his and Murray's orders.


	16. A Scottish Predicament

Master of Thieves

Chapter 15: A Scottish Predicament

Sly was moving fast through a Time Rift in Ancient Egypt, when he felt that the sandy wind blowing into his face had somewhat turned into raindrops pelting his already sandy face in mere seconds. After what he felt seemed like traveling forward a few centuries, he landed on his front onto a field of waterlogged grass near a massive lake.

Aside from how damp the ground was and how much fog there was on the majority of the lake, Sly felt heavy downpour and heard a few thunder booms in the clouds above him; he lifted his head a little to see that, somehow, he ended up in Scotland near the infamous Loch Ness.

This sudden realisation had lit a hopeful spark in his brain, since he could encounter his Scottish Ancestor, Slaigh MacCooper; the spark grew brighter when he saw a hamlet further down the hill, with a massive stone castle on the cliffs above it, so he pushed himself off the muddy ground and brushed off as much mud he can before proceeding towards the hamlet. Sly was pacing between a jog and a sprint, since he was on a dirt path in a heavy downpour, his thoughts constantly focused on meeting Slaigh officially.

When he had finally reached the hamlet, he saw lit lanterns perched on the windowsills in every building, indicating the strong likelihood that the residents were indoors. When he felt a breeze came through, Sly shivered in cold and glanced around for any signs for an Inn or someplace with vacancy. Sly felt something in his nose and it began to twitch, before he let out a loud *ATCHOO!*; he then looked groggily around for anything useable for shelter, when he saw a light in a cave overlooking the hamlet.

With no time to waste, Sly paced quickly up a muddy path leading to the cave, before taking shelter and sitting down with his arms crossed and his teeth chattering from the cold. He looked down at the lake, wondering if the Loch Ness Monster was even real; however, he didn't realise that someone else was vacating the cave as well until he was knocked out from behind.

He then came to for what felt like half an hour on a weathered cot bed, wrapped in 3 layers of thick woollen blankets inside a rocky room with a lantern lit above; he turned his head to the left and saw a wooden table with 2 wooden chairs, with a familiar book on the table. He then saw an odd-looking cane that, with a squinted look, looks to be a stone carved Cooper Cane.

Before he could realise where he was, a portion of the cave wall slid across to let in a large, burly figure; the figure ducked its head so he wouldn't hit the top of the retractable cave door frame, before closing it back up. It then noticed Sly looking at him in surprise, before saying in a rugged Scottish accent "Hey there laddie… Are you feeling more warmer?" Sly didn't say a word, though he nodded at the figure in response; he then realised that he lost his father's cane when he left the Time Rift and tried to get off the cot, but the blankets covering him prevents him from leaving.

The figure then went over to Sly, revealing himself to be none other than Slaigh MacCooper, and kept him in the cot to prevent him from catching another cold. He then told Sly while trying to hold him down gently "Hold your horses for a moment, laddie; you don't want to catch another cold, do yeh?" Sly then replied, looking rather desperate "I gotta get back out there… My cane is still outside."

Slaigh looked rather surprised at Sly's statement and inquired "A Cane? What does it look like, laddie?" Sly explained what his cane looked like to Slaigh, which the latter took a good think about it with pursed lips and squinted eyes with his iris's glancing to the side. When Sly finished, Slaigh puts his finger up and went over to a wrapped blanket next to his and carried it over to Sly, before he unwrapped it to reveal some heavy woollen clothing.

Sly glanced between the woollen clothes and Slaigh, before he inquired "Why are you giving me these, Slaigh?" To his surprise, Slaigh grinned at him and replied "Oh, I know a Cooper when I see him or her; as far as our generations go, our canes are our most signature equipment. Plus, I don't hold back those who are persistent towards a task." Sly smiled at Slaigh, pleased that his ancestor is willing to help him find his cane, before Slaigh unwrapped the blankets around Sly and gave him the woollen clothing.

As Slaigh turned away from Sly so the latter would change into more appropriate clothing, he asked "If I may, what'd be your name, laddie?" Sly replied as he got the woollen pants on and began to put on the woollen cloak next "Sly Cooper… I'm… your very distant descendant in the future."

Slaigh nodded with his eyes widened a little, before he asked his descendant curiously "What's the future like in your time? I'll admit to some concern." Sly replied as he was putting on the right sleeve of the woollen cloak "Well… There's still some strife here and there, but aside from the differences in technology, it's more or less alright."

Slaigh shrugged with a bored look with his lips pursed, before Sly tapped on Slaigh's right arm and showed him wearing the full woollen clothing set. Slaigh gave him a pat on the back, much to the latter's agonising pain and personally prefers Murray's back pat over Slaigh's, before the latter grabbed his signature cane leaning against the cave wall and led Sly outside.

When they came out of the cave, they saw that, aside that the downpour had finally stopped, the same drones that Sly had encountered back in Ancient Egypt are patrolling the hamlet too. Sly then said softly, his eyes looking worried "Oh boy… Here we go again." Knowing that Drake is not far off, he gestured Slaigh to retreat back into the hideout and explained to him on what was understandably a complicated situation he's in, though Slaigh payed attention to every word without any sign of disbelief.

When Sly finished explaining, Slaigh stroked his chin to ponder for a few moments, before saying "So, what you're saying is a second-in-command to our greatest foe Clockwerk is constantly trying to fulfil his master's wish to eradicate you, but your distant cousin from Thaddeus' side in England about a few centuries from now is helping your Cooper Gang in your present day is preventing your demise?"

Sly gave a simple nod at Slaigh without turning away his desperate gaze, before Slaigh made a small smile and noted "Well, I'm quite interested to meet your distant cousin and, what you explained on how resourceful and courageous he is, his help will surely shift the odds in our current situation." Sly smiled, not denying Terry's exceptional skills with the Cooper Clan's abilities and how assessive he is when it comes to topography.

He then realised that he can use his Binocu-Com to contact him again, but he used the last of the battery during Operation Jackal Swatter. His eyes then widened as he hatched a plan to get batteries and asked "Hey Slaigh, how would you like to steal something from the drones?" Slaigh raised his brow at his descendant in interest, wondering on what idea he's got.


	17. A Priceless Pearl

Master of Thieves

Chapter 16: A Priceless Pearl

Back in the Present Day, 2 weeks after Terry had returned from Ancient Egypt, he helped Bentley, Murray and Carmelita with a few tasks, mostly chores since they were too busy with pinpointing where Sly went and, in Carmelita's Case, an increase of crime ever since Muggshot's breakout. Although normally he'd do it for no reason, he was helping them so that he would grieve inside himself because he fears that Sly would perish before they could pinpoint him; despite that, however, he takes some time now and then to visit Pearl at the Diner, who he had developed feelings for.

On one notable visit, on a light misty evening, Terry came by the diner as he usually does to see Pearl turning the door sign to '_Sorry, we are closed_' before exiting. She then said in surprise "Oh, hey there cutie-pie. You're a bit late, aren't ya?" Terry shrugged with a sigh and replied "Yeah… I wound up helping Interpol with incapacitating a few escapee prisoners from Muggshot's Breakout. Not that I mind, but it wasn't easy since I was chasing them on foot on the rooftops while they fled in a stolen van."

Pearl pursed her lips, before she asked "How'd you caught up to them?" Terry replied, with a hint of amusement in his voice "Well, there was a stretch of road with spots of wet concrete, when they unawarely drove into about a 200 metre long of wet concrete that was just drying up. They tried to floor the accelerator, open the front and back doors and even tried to smash open the windshield, though they were pretty much busted at that point." Pearl giggled with her left paws on her mouth with a faint blush, before she took in a deep breath.

As she was about to ask Terry a question, Terry added "They wound up being caught via helicopter, though the Merc Squad had to cut through the roof with a spot welder in order to even get the escapees. I don't even want to tell you how embarrassing it is for the escapees to be airlifted back into jail, though I was laughing hard on the rooftop anyway." Pearl had then giggled with an amused grin on her face, with her left paw on her cheek, before she glanced backwards to think of something.

With a deep blush, she asked Terry "Hey Terry… Do you… I mean… Do you want to spend the night… With me?" Terry looked at Pearl with a look of astonishment and a blush, surprised that she would ask him to stay at her place. Although he took residency at the Cooper hideout, he supposed that they won't mind if he slept at Pearl's for the evening; with a conclusive thought, he nodded at Pearl with a gentle smile. Pearl then held Terry's hand in a firm, yet gentle hold, before walking him to her apartment complex.

During the walk over, Pearl asked Terry "So… Had you helped out your friends with anything else over the last 2 weeks?" Terry replied, his breath emitting a little transparent mist "Well, last week, I helped Murray with getting some groceries at the supermarket; 2 days later, I helped Bentley with gathering materials to make another Time Warp due to what me, Sly and Slytunkhamen had been through. Other than that, just some chores for them like cleaning and cooking and such." Pearl rested her head on Terry's shoulder and looked up at him dreamily, since she has developed an interest in him the first time she saw him enter her diner. After about 3 minutes of walking, Pearl pointed out to a 6 storey building to their left and led him inside to the reception desk.

When they entered the building, they were immediately met with a welcoming warm temperature from the building's automated A/C, before Pearl went to a mailbox with the number '603' on it. As she got out her key ring in her purse, Terry had got a message in his Binocu-Com; he checked it to see it was a message from Bentley, asking where he is at the moment. He then messaged back, saying in a barely audible voice "_I'm spending the night with Pearl, the opossum waitress at the diner who took a fancy with me. Sorry I didn't message you sooner, but her request kinda took me off guard._"

When he sent the message to Bentley, Terry looked at Pearl and saw her mouth trembling when she saw a certain mail among her bills. He looked concerned about her, when a message notification came from his Binocu-Com; he then looked to see Bentley asking for a photo, unsure on what waitress he's talking about. Terry made a sigh with a reluctant expression, before he looked up at Pearl and said "Hey Pearl? Is it alright if you pose for a photo? Bentley just needed a reminder on what you look like, since I'm staying at your place for the night without asking him." Pearl gave it a thought, before she nodded and looked at Terry with a sweet smile while adjusting her purse, before he took a snap with the Binocu-Com's camera. He then made a thumbs up gesture at Pearl, which she hid her face because she was blushing so much, before sending the snapshot to Bentley.

After a few moments, Terry got a message from Bentley, telling him that it's fine to spend the night with his girlfriend and he'll notify him for any progress for locating Sly. Terry blushed deeply at that message, before he glanced at Pearl, who's looking back at him with a flustered look; he then smiled at her, before putting away his Binocu-Com and followed her up the stairs to the 6th floor. They then reached the hallway on the 6th floor and went for a few paces before Pearl turned left to a door with the number '603' on it; she then unlocked it with her apartment key and held Terry's right paw with a sly smile, before pulling him in with a childish giggle and closing the door.

After being pulled in, Terry looked around and saw, compared to the Cooper Hideout, Pearl's Apartment is much cleaner and organised: The wallpaper was a bright eggshell white with mahogany trims, the carpet was a light tan with a stain here and there, though not as much as the hideout, the living area has brown leather seats and a couch, with a pure black entertainment unit with a large black wall-mounted flatscreen above it and an oak coffee table with various lifestyle magazines piled in the centre.

Guessing she might as well give Terry the 'grand tour', Pearl led Terry to the kitchen area: The floor and wall tiling were both white ceramic, the counters where white with black topped trims, the refrigerator was a pure white with an lavender-scented air freshener perched on top, the stove/oven hybrid is touch activated, the silver stainless-steel dishwasher on the right of the stove/oven had a slot to insert cleansing pods for heavily dirty dishes and utensils and the cupboards were the same as the counters.

Pearl then told Terry "Alright darling, I'm going to make some dinner for us both, so please wash your paws in the bathroom sink before you have your meal." Terry puts his paws in his pockets, before replying in a gentle grin "Anything for you, m'lady." Pearl smiled with her eyes closed, before she glanced backwards with a pink blush and went to the pantry as Terry decided to look around the rest of Pearl's Apartment. His first logical stop was the bathroom, since he needs to wash his hands in case the meal that Pearl got planned involved their fingers instead of the cutlery.

When he opened a door with a fresh draft coming out the crack underneath, he saw that it was indeed the bathroom: The tiling were the same as the kitchen's, the sink was pure white with a silver stainless steel spigot and two knobs resembling the hot and cold water, respectively. The shower had a smooth, stainless steel frame with a sturdy glass frame, a stainless steel shower head, stainless steel knobs like the sink and a detachable shelf with bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body soap on it. The toilet was pure white, with a roll of toilet paper sitting between the corner and the back of the toilet and a small air freshener wall-mounted above.

Terry then used the soap dispenser on the sink and rubbed the runny soapy liquid on his paws, before running the sink with tepid water and washed both of his paws, before turning off the sink and turned to the left to dry his paws with the hand towel. He then left the bathroom and went into an adjacent room to see it was the bedroom: The wallpaper was a standard brown with white trims, the carpet flooring is a steel grey, the bed is a queen sized with a forest-green duvet, the pillows were leaf-green with a small teddy bear in between them. The bedside drawers and cupboard was a dark oak, with small lamps on either drawer and an electronic alarm clock on the right bedside drawer.

Pleased that Pearl has made a good living for herself, Terry closed the bedroom door and went back to the kitchen, realising that, due to the ingredients that Pearl got out, she was making Chicken Curry with White Rice for dinner. Pearl saw Terry coming back into view and said "I hope if you don't mind Chicken Curry, darling… I've been meaning to make this for a bit, but I kinda got stuck on graveyard shifts lately."

Terry licked his lower lip and replied "Honestly, I have such a fondness for Chicken Curry… I mean, when I was little, I had my first serving in a Chinese restaurant and I loved the stuff ever since." Pearl grinned happily with a deep blush, pleased that her lover is happy to have Chicken Curry, before Terry asked her "You want me to help you? I helped my mom with cooking before…" Pearl is surprised that Terry wanted to help with the cooking, before she accepted the offer.

During the preparation of dinner, Terry felt Pearl's tail brush along his body smoothly, making him blush in flattery; as they began to steam the White Rice, Terry returned the affectionate favour by brushing his tail along Pearl's body, making her blush in flattery too. Pearl then glanced at Terry in a sweet look, which Terry glanced back at her with a kind-hearted expression; seeing that they have time to kill, Pearl slowly moved her left paw onto Terry's right paw as the latter did the same thing inversely.

When their fingers made contact, they slowly grabbed their paws gently before Pearl said "Darling…" Terry then made a small, gentle smile and replied "Honey…" Pearl glanced downwards for a moment, before she and Terry turned their heads and nuzzled their noses affectionately, closing their eyes and grinning broadly as Pearl giggled softly. They then opened their eyes a little, then they wrapped their arms around each other: Pearl wrapped her arms around Terry's neck as the latter wrapped his around Pearl's waist.

Feeling that somehow this was meant to be, they slowly inched their head closed, with their lips pursed, before making a soft peck. The sudden contact felt like a spark between them had spontaneously flared up wildly, because Pearl had placed her right paw on Terry's cheek as the latter rubbed the former's back in gentle circular strokes. Although they wanted to be romantic all night, they reluctantly broke off their tender moment but they looked at each other with soft, gentle smiles before setting up the bowls and cutlery.

A few minutes later, Terry and Pearl were sitting at the couch with their meals, with the former smelling the succulent smell of curry mixed with the steamed rice, much to his deep delight. Pearl then grabbed the TV remote and tuned in to the News Channel, where a report just came in of the escapees that Terry mentioned earlier; Pearl then snickered at the footage of the escapees being airlifted out of the stuck van from the roof as Terry shook his head with an amused grin.

As they both consumed their meals, Terry noticed that Pearl has a spot of curry on her right cheek; he then grabbed her attention and tapped his right cheek and pointed at her, before Pearl tapped her right cheek and felt something, before realising she has a bit of curry on her cheek. Pearl then glanced at Terry with a deep blush, before she gestured him to come closer to her; knowing what she wanted him to do, he sidled closer to Pearl and kissed her cheek while dabbing the spot of curry away with his tongue.

Pearl giggled rather childishly from Terry's affection, before he suddenly stopped and pulled his head back with a glum look, which Pearl looked at him in concern. She then asked "Is there something wrong, darling?" Terry looked at Pearl and slowly nodded in confirmation, before the latter patted her lap; Terry, knowing that Pearl wanted to have a consoling talk with him, lied on the couch and rested his head on Pearl's lap.

Pearl brushed her left paw on Terry's head in a concerning look and asked him softly "Can you tell me what's the matter, sweetie?" Terry gently purred from the stroking he's taking, before replying "Well… I just have this bad feeling ever since my cousin was sucked into a Time Rift in Ancient Egypt. I kept on thinking that he will perish before me and the gang would locate where and when he is."

Pearl felt sympathetic for Terry, before brushing her right paw on Terry's left cheek and pecked him on the forehead. Terry looked at Pearl with a gentle smile, before the latter spoke up optimistically "As long as you don't give up, I'm sure you will succeed in retrieving Sly back to the present." Terry felt emotionally better from Pearl's reassurance as the latter continued stroking his head gently with a warm smile.

Their tender moment was interrupted when Terry's Binocu-Com rang an incoming call; since Terry was a little subdued at the moment, Pearl answered it for him since Terry taught her how to use it earlier in the fortnight. Carmelita's voice then said "Terry, thank heavens you answered! There's recently an important development as to where Sly had gone; I need you at the Interpol HQ right now!" Pearl then answered, albeit a little startled "Uh… Won't be a moment, Miss. I'll just put you on to Terry now."

She then gave the earpiece to Terry, who puts it in his right ear and said "Yo… What's up?" Carmelita inquired confusedly "Terry, who was that girl that answered your Binocu-Com?" Terry replied passively "You know that opossum girl that was present when Muggshot attacked Dimitri's nightclub? Yeah, she's recently my girlfriend… Sorry for not informing you, though." There was a few moments pause, before Carmelita noted "Okay then… I need you at the precinct right now; there's been a sudden development that cloud lead to where Sly is now." That news had such an effect that Terry suddenly sat up on the couch with a surprised look. He then said in a blank tone "I'm on my way now."

He then ended the call and stood up suddenly, before he paused for a moment and turned to Pearl, who looked rather sad that Terry had to go. Feeling sorry for leaving Pearl so suddenly, Terry held her right paw and said with a consoling look "I'm seriously sorry that I have to go, but I swear that I will come back. This is just important to me, but I will keep you posted when I get back." Pearl looked at Terry forlornly, before she made a small smile and shared a soft peck with Terry before the latter went to the apartment door.

As he opened it, he stood still for a few moments, before asking Pearl "Sweetie? How would you feel if your lover's cousin is part of a largely renown clan of thieves going far back as the Stone Age?" Pearl then replied, with a sly smile and her arms crossed "Honestly, with that much reputation and a serious amount of thieves through the ages, I'd be honoured to meet him." Terry smiled, enlightened that his girlfriend had no dislike for the Cooper Gang, before leaving her apartment to Interpol HQ.


	18. Taming the Dog

Master of Thieves

Chapter 17: Taming the Dog

It took Terry about just a few minutes to arrive at the Interpol Reception area, when he saw a female skunk tried to tell her problem to the receptionist, but the latter told her in a loud, slow tone "Ma'am… I need you to speak a language I can understand!" Terry made a facepalm in disbelief as to what he's witnessing, before he asked while approaching the desk "What seems to be the problem here?" The receptionist replied back, relieved to hear someone speaking English "This woman appears to have a problem, though I can't understand the language at all."

The female Skunk then shouted at the receptionist which Terry recognised immediately as French, though he personally thought it was rather ironic since the receptionist should've learned a few French words already. He then tapped on the female Skunk's right shoulder and asked her in fluent French "_What seems to be the problem, miss?_" The female Skunk then replied, pleased that someone understands her ironically "_My apartment has been burglarised and my father's locket has been stolen!_" Terry then explained the receptionist on the female Skunk's dilemma, before the receptionist typed it in to a new Burglary Report, which the female Skunk thanked Terry for helping her, which he replied positively.

Terry then asked the receptionist "One other thing: Is Inspector Fox here? She contacted me for an important task." The receptionist then gave a few moments to contact Detective Barkley for Inspector Fox's location, before informing Terry that Inspector Fox is in Interrogation Room 1 with Muggshot and is waiting for him specifically.

After being given directions to Interrogation Room 1, Terry proceeded up a storey and passed by an elevator until he came up a door with a sign saying 'Interrogation Room 1'. He then knocked on the door and heard Carmelita's voice said behind it "Who's there?" Terry replied "It's Terry… You told me to come immediately because an important clue came up." The door was unlocked from Carmelita's side, before she let Terry in, where he saw Muggshot in a strait jacket chained to a metal chair.

Carmelita then casually asided to Terry "He has an item that will help determine where Sly has ended up, but he has not disclosed where it is, even when I pressed my shock pistol against his head." Terry nodded and glanced at Muggshot suspiciously, as Carmelita sat on the other metal chair with her arms crossed, leering venomously at Muggshot. Terry then began "So, you have acquired a certain object recently that you refused to disclose its location." Muggshot then replied in hostility "So what if I did? It was passed down through my family in generations and there's no way I'm giving it to a scrawny raccoon and an officer of the law!"

Terry closed his eyes to think of how to acquire the object from Muggshot: He disregarded fighting him, since it was dumb luck last time and there's no way in hell that pickpocketing will work either, since the strait jacket hasn't got a single pocket. He then asked Muggshot curiously "If I may, how did you come to be on your current occupation anyway?" Muggshot raised his brow and inquired "So now you shifted from interrogation to asking about my past?" Terry shrugged in a neutral expression as Muggshot looked at him questionably, before he sighed in defeat.

Muggshot then began "I was a little whelp in middle school with barely any muscles as the other students were larger and much more burly than me. It was then that I began to watch mafia and gangster movies and worked out at the gym until my arms are as big as they are today, when I was hired into a group known as the Fiendish Five. Long story short, I took something of Sly's and he took it back from me, though not without me having a severe hostile vendetta against him." Terry nodded with his paws on his mouth, understanding Muggshot's backstory completely; on the other hand, he chose to live a path of thuggery and is a recurring foe for Sly.

Impatient, Carmelita then yelled while slamming her hands on the table "Dammit Muggshot, stop holding out and give us your keepsake!" Muggshot then snarled at Carmelita and retorted "I ain't giving you my keepsake! It's from my mother's side and I ain't parting with it, no matter what you two guppies do ta me!" Terry crossed his arms sternly and inquired "Does your mother know what you have become?" Muggshot then retorted so angrily that his strait jacket had made a slight tear "Don't you talk smack about my mother; she was a saint!"

Carmelita shook her head with her eyes closed, not sure what else she can do, though the amount of Muggshot's dedication to his mother gave Terry a good idea. With a snide expression he told Muggshot "Alright Muggshot… you want to play hardball? Then it's time to get a box of tissues on hand." Muggshot raised his brow in confusion, as did Carmelita, who hasn't got a clue what Terry has in mind. Terry then continued "If scolding or sob story doesn't work, then this will certainly will: I'm going to pelt you with some Yo' Mama jokes!"

From the looks of Muggshot's and Carmelita's expressions, the former had a worrying expression as the latter made a slight amused smirk. Muggshot then replied in a plea, which Carmelita is pleased to notice a slight fear in his tone "No… Not that route. Anything but that route, please…" Terry then replied in an obvious tone "I won't do the jokes if you just lend us your mom's keepsake." Muggshot took a few moments to think it over, before he called Terry's bluff and refused, believing that he doesn't know a single Yo Mama joke.

Terry responded in a fake defeated tone "Okay… You're obviously rather punctual… But sad to say…" Muggshot raised his brow, wondering what Terry's going to say next, when the latter made an amused grin directed at him and said "Yo Mama is so Punctual, she will easily make a north Shoreman blush." To Carmelita's surprise, Muggshot began to tear up and replied in soft tears "Oh… It's so true…" Carmelita was stunned that Terry had made a dead-on dent towards Muggshot, though knowing Terry, he isn't one to throw in the towel.

Terry then continued, still wearing an amused grin "What's true? That she didn't notice how you'd eventually become? Because of what I am aware of for certain…" Muggshot looked at Terry with wet eyes as Carmelita looked at him with a slight smirk, before Terry added "Yo Mama is so Radiant, if she fell in Nuclear Waste, no one would know the difference." Muggshot replied, bawling a little while his pink skin went redder "Oh mama, it hurts… IT HURTS!" Carmelita managed to stop herself from making an amused snort, though she doubts that Terry wasn't finished yet.

Terry then noted "Even so, how do you think she could pay for your bail anyway? The answer is really simple…" Muggshot looked at Terry, no longer with a hostile expression and his mouth trembled in sadness as Carmelita glanced at Terry, wondering what his next joke would be. Terry then continued "Yo Mama is so Thrifty, she spends coupons at the Penny Arcade."

Muggshot then flailed side-to-side on the metal chair, tears flowing down like water gushing from a damaged dam while bawling "AHHHHHHH! Please… Please stop this!" Terry then replied as Carmelita ducked her head under the table to hide her silent laughter "This can all be over if you'll just give us the location on where your mother's keepsake is." Muggshot sniffed a few times while crying hard, before weakly replying in a weird, high-pitch voice "No…"

He then regrets his answer, since Terry continued "Yikes, you're not really an uplifting guy, ain't you? Because you know…" Anticipating another crack at his mother, Muggshot closed his eyes since his massive arms are still bound in the strait jacket as Carmelita amusingly looked at Terry for another joke. Terry then said, with a slight amused tone "Yo Mama is so Perky, the only time she was low was in a limbo contest!" That had the effect Terry wanted, because Muggshot flailed so much that he fell to the side as Carmelita laughed hard at the final dent, though Muggshot didn't even bother to tell her off.

Muggshot, in fits of sobs and his skin about as red as a tomato, said "Okay, Okay, I'll tell ya where my ma's keepsake is; just please stop making cracks about her, will ya?" Terry then replied, looking rather professionally "Of course, Muggshot. After all, I barely know your mother anyway." Not even going to comment on that, Muggshot pulled himself together and explained "My ma's keepsake is confiscated when I was brought in after that scuffle in Dimitri's Nightclub, in the precinct's reception desk." Terry had a mixed expression of surprise and anticipation, since he only saw Muggshot in the orange jumpsuit when he first encountered him, though noted that whatever he took on the way to the nightclub had been stripped via pat down when he was returned to the station.

Even with Carmelita's help, getting Muggshot to sit upright was nothing to joke about, though they both caught their breath before looking at each other and nodded at each other. As they were about to leave the Interrogation Room, Terry stopped to tell Muggshot "Just so you know, Muggshot, by the time we used your ma's keepsake, I'll bring it back first thing." Both Muggshot and Carmelita were surprised to hear Terry say that, before he and the latter left the Interrogation Room and went down to the lobby.

After convincing the receptionist to lend them Muggshot's keepsake from his ma after he was taken in a fortnight earlier, Terry was driven to the Cooper Hideout by Carmelita in her convertible, much to his interest. Carmelita then asked Terry something that was badgering her "Why did you promise Muggshot to return his mother's keepsake? Can't you just sell it through ThiefNet, since you're a promising thief and all?" Terry replied, as if he was being told to kidnap an old lady "What, are you kidding? I told Muggshot to _LEND_ him his mother's keepsake, not _GIVE_ it to us. Besides, you can buy and sell stuff, but a keepsake from a family member is not one such item to me, no matter what."

Carmelita glanced at Terry in disbelief, who wore a serious expression, before shooking her head and noted "Your firm belief and loyalty in family is up to a fault, you know that?" Terry shrugged, not even going to defend his statement, though Carmelita secretly thought that Terry wasn't wrong in family values at all.


	19. A Misty Welcome

Master of Thieves

Chapter 18: A Misty Welcome

Back in Scotland, Sly and his Scottish ancestor Slaigh MacCooper returned to the hideout, though they both had ashen faces with a couple bags of batteries with their signature canes sheathed on their backs. When they are met with the warmth of the lit candles, both Sly and Slaigh slumped on the cot bed and wooden chair respectively, before letting out a sigh of relief at the same time.

There was a few moments of silence, before Slaigh said finally "Ach, that was quite a scuffle, laddie… All because of some 'batteries' ye need for yer weird contraption." Sly replied after exhaling again "I'm not even going to comment how difficult that was… I'm just glad we got the freaking batteries in one piece." Slaigh brushed it off, though knew that his descendant had the only equipment needed to call for help.

After a few minutes rest, Sly got off the cot and puts in fresh batteries in his Binocu-Com; when he turned it on, he was pleased that it was working after all. When he's about to call Bentley, Slaigh asked him "Are ye sure this is even going to work, laddie? The batteries we managed to grab probably won't even last for a minute." Sly then replied, acknowledging his Scottish Ancestor's skepticism "Slaigh, it's either this or going back out there and handling those drones and you're pretty aware on what just happened." Slaigh made a reluctant sigh, before he gestured Sly to proceed to contact his friends.

Back in the present, at the Cooper Hideout, Carmelita just parked her convertible near the front door, before turning off the engine and both her and Terry left the vehicle before knocking at the front door. A few footsteps later, Murray appeared at the front door and let them in, informing them "You two came just in time: Bentley had just gotten a signal from Sly's Binocu-Com."

They then rushed to the work area just as Bentley answered the call, where they heard Sly's voice rang "Bentley? Bentley, are you there?" Bentley replied, relieved that the signal was much clearer than the previous one "I'm here Sly and I read you loud and clear. What's going on; Where and When are you?" Sly told him in a clear tone "I'm in Scotland with my Ancestor, Slaigh MacCooper in his hideout in a cave!" They then heard a gruff Scottish voice said in the background "Hey there!"

Bentley, Murray, Carmelita and Terry were astonished to hear that, before Terry responded back "Hi there… Slaigh MacCooper. Sorry for being impatient, but what's going on your end?" Sly then replied "Hey Terry! Nice to hear your voice again, pal… There are some drones out here too, like the ones in Egypt, but they're just sticking to the village for some reason. Me and Slaigh 'procured' some batteries for my Binocu-Com, though we had to fight our way out of there after tripping a motion sensor." Bentley, Murray, Carmelita and Terry looked at each other in concerned looks, before Terry said "Don't worry, you guys. I'm on my way to you; just hold on and keep out of sight until I arrive." Sly then replied "You got it, cousin. Please hurry, though…"

The call then suddenly ended, much to their concern, before Terry reached in his pocket and grabbed out Muggshot's keepsake, which turns out to be a weathered Scottish Trinket for men's kilts. To be certain that it really was from Slaigh MacCooper's time, Bentley scanned it with Terry's Time Warp device and revealed its original date was from around 1300 A.D. Terry checked the original date and exclaimed in surprise "Holy Mackerel, this is quite a well-tended trinket Muggshot has in his family."

Both Bentley and Murray were surprised that Terry and Carmelita had confiscated this from Muggshot himself, considering that the former had fought him just a fortnight ago. After a detailed explanation on how they 'convinced' Muggshot to lend them his keepsake, Bentley and Murray understood, though they smirked at how Terry handled the interrogation.

After getting some equipment for the Time Trip to 14th century Scotland, Bentley told the others "Guys, I managed to made another Time Warp after the first one's successful trip and back in Ancient Egypt. Since it was a time consuming process, it'd be best if one of us uses it to join Terry to help Sly." Murray and Carmelita looked at each other, still unsure if they were ready to use such a device, before Bentley decided to use it for himself.

After scanning Muggshot's Scottish Trinket in the second Time Warp, both Bentley and Terry were ready to travel to 14th century Scotland. Due to his knowledge that Scotland is a wet and cold climate, Terry went upstairs and grabbed a fur coat for him and Bentley, before giving one about Bentley's size to the latter and putting the former fur coat on himself.

When Terry scrolled the screen onto 14th Century Scotland, Loch Ness, Murray tapped on his shoulder and told him "Would you please look after Bentley while you're in the 14th century? I don't… want him to drown in the lake." Terry raised a brow at Murray; he is completely aware that Bentley's legs are disabled, but he could at least float in the water and use his arms to swim back to shore.

He then asked "So, I take it that he doesn't know how to swim?" Murray, Bentley and Carmelita looked down uncomfortable, which the unfortunate truth dawned onto Terry that they can't swim either. He then heaved a sigh and said unenthusiastically "I'll look after Bentley… Don't worry, I know how to swim in case he falls into the water." Unsurprisingly, the others were surprised that Terry knew how to swim, before he and Bentley, who felt more assured with Terry at his side, glowed in a bright light and disappeared before them.

As Bentley and Terry were transported through time, Bentley was screaming since he used the Cooper Van to travel through time; Terry, however, quickly got over the fear and screamed in joy, when they felt some incoming fog flowing towards them and the temperature was slowly dropping until they both landed on some damp grass beside a large lake covered in dense fog. Terry then said amusedly "The first time is really unsettling, but I got to admit, it's really fun to travel in time; it's somewhat like using the Bifrost in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's primarily white instead of rainbow colours." Bentley was still cringing from time-traveling without the Cooper Van, but he sees Terry's point and reference.

They then looked forward and saw a village further on, with the same drones above with spotlights and turrets attached and a large stone castle looming above the village and lake. Bentley then inquired "You don't think Drake is here too, do you?" Terry then replied through gritted teeth "If he is, I seriously doubt he's in or underneath the village, despite the heavy security lurking about." Bentley nodded, acknowledging Terry's heavy validated point, before they proceeded to finding the cave that Sly has mentioned.

As they drew neared to the village, Terry glanced at the waters of Loch Ness and wondered if the mythical sea monster referred as Nessie was really real, when something in front of Terry caught his attention and stopped Bentley to a complete halt. Bentley asked him on what's wrong, when he gestured his head to the garden gnome just next to the first house's front door. Bentley looked at Terry in an unsure look, before Terry rolled his eyes and went over to the garden gnome; when he pulled off the ceramic cap, it revealed to be a motion sensor hidden inside, with the highly transparent lasers coming through the gnomes eyes.

Bentley was surprised that Terry noticed the hidden motion sensor before he did, before Terry noted "Sometimes, the security devices would be in the least likely places you'd expect to be in. Believe me, lots of time with Splinter Cell gameplay can teach you some stuff; surprisingly, stealth games can help you with patience without you realising it." Bentley pursed his lips, nodding at Terry's surprising point, before they went around the edge of the seemingly empty village while avoiding the Drone's spotlights.

After avoiding the third spotlight, Terry briefly noticed a figure in a cave entrance above them behind the village opposite the lake, before it disappeared into the cave. Knowing how Slytunkhamen hid his hideout in some ruins back in Ancient Egypt, Terry led Bentley up a worn path to the cave and looked around for a suspicious bit of cave wall.

After assessing the wall on either side, Terry noticed a noticeably protruding rock on the right side and pressed it, to reveal a hidden room when a retractable rock wall slid out of view. Bentley let Terry in first, since he's more perspective than he is, before the latter went in Slaigh's Hideout and looked around to see, aside from a cot bed and the Thievius Raccoonus on the wooden table, some of Sly's wet clothes in a pile in the corner of the room.

When he took a step forward, his ears perked up instinctively and had an intuitional notion that someone is above him; in what seemed like a split second, Terry evaded when a large hulking figure fell above where Terry was standing just then, before a large bulky Raccoon with a stone-made cane in his right paws. Terry then realised almost immediately "Slaigh MacCooper?" Slaigh then almost immediately had a passive look on his face and replied "Yeah laddie, that'd be me. I take it you'd be Terry, then?" Terry nodded with a small smile, pleased to meet another ancestor of Sly's, when Slaigh suddenly pulled him into a tight hug, which Terry felt like he's being crushed in piles of concrete.

When Slaigh let go of Terry, he still wore a painful look on him by the incredible amount of strength in the hug, though Slaigh was still pleased to meet a fellow Cooper anyway. Slaigh then said enthusiastically "It's such a great pleasure ta' meet another Cooper! Sly told me that you're quick-witted an' can quickly learn Cooper moves flawlessly." Although still in pain, Terry made a small grin and gestured a thumbs up at Slaigh, before wincing in unbearable pain.

Terry then noted "Just so you know Slaigh, it's not just me that arrived… Bentley?" Right on cue, Bentley wheeled himself into the hideout, which Slaigh had made an enlightening chortle when he saw Sly's gang member. Slaigh then said in an enthusiastic tone "Ah, it's such a surprise to see a lil friend of Sly's in the fray too… though I must sympathise at how ye' in a wheelchair, though." Bentley knew how much a disadvantage he is, but at least felt comfortable at Slaigh's sympathy for his disability. Terry then made a sudden twist on his torso, which a loud bone cracking sound echoed in the hideout, before he sighed in relief when his bones had reset.

Terry then noted "Speaking of, where is Sly anyway? Is he doing some recon or collecting some materials, or… he's right under the COT BED!" As he shouted, he pulled Sly hiding underneath the Cot Bed by the arm, which both Raccoons laughed in amusement, before Slaigh slapped Terry in the back, which he hopped about in a painful noise with his teeth bared.

Sly then hugged Bentley in relief, which he hugged him back, before saying "I am SO glad to see you again, Bentley! I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you again…" Bentley adjusted his glasses, before replying "I'm just glad you're alright Sly. Terry's been a big help since he joined the team, even helping with repairing the Time Machine and making the second Time Warp." Bentley then showed Sly his Time Warp, much to his interest, before the latter thought of something with a concerned look.

Terry then answered before Sly could ask "Murray and Carmelita is fine, though they are still determined to get you back to the present even if me and Bentley are here." Sly then looked relieved that his other best friend and his girlfriend are fine, but he has other concerns at the moment. He then told Terry and Bentley "I'm glad you two are here. I have a feeling where Drake is, though we need some recon photos and a Topography Map in order to make a plan."

Terry, after straightening himself up and relieved that the slap on the back didn't dislocate his spine, twirled his cane and replied "Just tell me what you need to snap and I'll get it done." Sly then smiled at his cousin and shared a fist bump with him, grateful at his willingness to help him.


	20. Learning How to Wall Edge

Master of Thieves

Chapter 19: Learning how to Wall Edge

**(Gameplay Warning)**

After being informed to where he should take vital snapshots by Bentley, Terry left the hideout and stood out of the edge of the cave entrance. He then got out the Topographic Miniature Aerial Drone, or T-MAD as Terry calls for short, and threw it up in the air, before it deployed its wings and camera; as it was doing a survey of the area, Terry glanced at the Lake and thought he saw some movement beneath the water for a moment. It was too large for a group of fish, but he knew he wasn't here to meet Nessie at last… Though the thought of having an alliance with the legend of Loch Ness would be spectacular.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the T-MAD beeping by his left ear; he was startled by the noise, but felt relieved almost immediately when he saw the device, so he held out his BinocuCom to let the T-MAD back in its spot. He then transferred the data to Bentley's BinocuCom, since he can direct him where the most tactical spots are to take recon photos.

After a few moments, Bentley instructed him through the earpiece "_Okay Terry, the first photo I need you to take is the hamlet; since the Drone's Searchlights are focused there, it'd be wise to use higher ground close to the cave._" Terry complied and looked around for a suitable spot on either side, before he saw it on his right; he then paced over to the spot as quickly and quietly as he can, ensuring that he won't be noticed by the searchlights.

When he reached the spot, he took out his BinocuCom and used the Camera to take a photo of the hamlet, which Bentley comments through the earpiece "_Although there's a village below a massive castle, I don't see any signs of civilians on the way through._" Terry felt concerned about that: If there are Drones similar to the ones in Ancient Egypt, then he most likely took the villagers caged too. He was then directed to take a photo of the cliff side next, which he supposed is whether would be another way to reach the castle.

He then snapped the photo and sent it to Bentley for a better judgement; after a few moments, Bentley told Terry "_Looks like the cliff wall is stable enough… Now, the next photo I need you to take requires the use of the Wall Edge move… A move you sadly don't know how to pull off._" He then heard movement in the earpiece and overheard Sly's astonishment that Terry didn't know how to use the Wall Edge move yet, which Bentley admits to Sly that he just assumed that Terry read the move in the Thievius Raccoonus, due to a mistake in the training room.

Terry sighed quietly at the bickering between Bentley and Sly, when he contacted Slaigh and asked him how to pull off the Wall Edge move. Slaigh replied as Terry approached the cliff face "_A'ight laddie, in order to pull off the Wall Edge move, you must approach the ledge and press 'O' to put your back against the wall and position on the small ledge; you can then shimmy either direction with the left thumbstick until you reach a small vantage point, enough ground for you to walk freely or pressing 'O' again to back away from the wall._"

Terry nodded in compliance, before he thought to himself as he looked along the cliff face to where the end was over the lake's surface "_Although I'm more worried about the drop than the climb, to be honest… Well, here goes._" Terry then executed the Wall Edge move for the first time, before shimmying to the left until he reached a small vantage point, where there was some climbing rope up to the castle walls. Even though there'd be a good chance that there were likely to be a patrol above, he would risk his life to get Sly back to the present safely.

With a renewed amount of confidence, Terry climbed up the rope to the cliff edge, when he heard footsteps patter slowly towards his position. He climbed down the rope a little so he won't be detected by the guard, when he heard the guard's earpiece go off and a familiar voice said "_Section 5, I need you to report to the foyer right away; there's a briefing that can't be missed, so hop to it._" Terry heard the guard grumble irritably, before he left the vicinity; Terry felt that the briefing was important, so he climbed up to the castle wall and contacted Bentley, who had got into a heated argument with Sly.

They were in the middle of arguing about how the Time Machine was damaged and resorted to using the Time Warps, when Terry said calmly "Bentley, I'm right by the Castle Walls; where do I go from here?" Although his voice was calm, it still managed to intervene the argument and Bentley responded through the earpiece "_I need you to take a photo of the Courtyard, Front Gate, East Tower and the Cellar Entrance; also, dig up any intel if you can so we can have an advantage._"

Terry nodded, before he climbed the Castle Walls to the battlements; he then checked for any patrols along the battlements, before he took a photo of the Courtyard, which has crates with a logo on them. Bentley then noted after being sent the Courtyard photo "_From the looks of things, factoring the security, the quantity of crates and the assembly of equipment, the set-up here spans about a week at least… This'll be some hard thinking to do._"

Terry then lowered his BinocuCom, when he heard a Guard's Earpiece coming from his right; seeing he has a few seconds to hide, he looked frantically for a hiding spot. A Gecko Guard with chainmail armour and a Spear then came to the spot where Terry was a few seconds later, though he didn't realise there was an intruder in the vicinity. He then checked a corner and saw barrels of mead; there was one with the lid open slightly, but he passed it off as a greedy guts before going to the Foyer. As soon as the guard's footsteps hit the tile on the Courtyard, Terry opened the slightly open lid of the empty mead barrel, letting out a sigh of relief from the close call.

He then quietly got out of the barrel and puts the lid back in place, glad that there was an empty barrel to hide in, when he saw the Front Gate open and 3 guards passed through before they closed automatically. Thinking it'd be wiser to take photos of the exterior and the interior of the Front Gate, he took a snap of it from the Courtyard, before going to a vantage point where he can take a picture of the East Tower. Bentley then commented after being transferred the photo "_It doesn't look like the East Tower is a priority for patrols… If the worse comes, you should exit out through the window, provided you have a Paraglider._" Terry was afraid of that option, since he never even used one before in his life… or saw one in a picture, for that matter.

He then refocused to taking a picture of the Front Gate from the Exterior, before sending both photos to Bentley's BinocuCom. After assessing both pictures, Bentley said via earpiece "_From the looks of it, the Gate only opens towards the Courtyard; it also has an electronic lock that only activates when a Lockdown is in effect._"

Terry nodded, before he decided to infiltrate the Foyer and listen in on the briefing; as he walked a tightrope from one of the Battlement Stations to the roof of the main building, Bentley asked him if had dug up any intel yet. Terry then checked the window and saw two Gecko Guards with crossbows facing away from the window; knowing how Sly and Slytunkhamen were detected so easily back in Ancient Egypt, Terry used a Laser Mic to record the briefing.

He then used his Earpiece to listen in on the briefing, when the unmistakable voice of Drake said "_Fellow Guardsmen, I thank all of you to attend this briefing; from what I also see, there isn't anyone missing, which further meets my choice in hiring you all._" There was a pause, before Drake continued "_Now, as you all know by now, the villagers we have taken are currently pacified and the equipment are set up in an orderly fashion. However, from the information from one of the Security Drones about an hour earlier, it seems that Sly Cooper is within the area._"

Terry noticed Drake growling menacingly, since he failed to kill Sly in Ancient Egypt because he was thwarted by Terry. Drake then regained his composure and continued "_That's why, until further notice, I'd like a max of 2 guards patrolling the pathetic village below on a rotational schedule. Check in the radio for anything suspicious, but inform my channel with an absolute confirm sighting for Cooper and his… admittedly loyal cousin._"

Terry was surprised that Drake would admit his own unwavering loyalty to Sly, when Drake barked in annoyance "_Oh and one other thing… One more pointless jab of a Nessie sighting and I will personally drown you in the damn lake! Now kindly return to your patrols; You and You, patrol the village and be sure to wear a rain coat. It looks like it will rain again._"

Seeing his cue to return to the hideout, he coiled the Laser Mic back into his satchel, when he saw the Cellar Doors; that was the good news, anyway. The bad news, however, is that it was INSIDE the foyer proper, so Terry hurried along the rope back onto the battlements and climbed down the cliff face before returning to the hideout, relieved that he didn't see the guards there yet. He then pressed the protruding rock and entered Slaigh's Hideout, where Bentley, Sly and Slaigh looked at him in surprise.

Terry then said, knowing that Bentley puts his BinocuCom on Speaker "As far as the Cellar Door goes, it is in the freaking Foyer… There are 2 guards with crossbows on the upper landing, but knowing Drake, he most likely has a hidden laser grid to prevent the villagers from escaping." Bentley puts his right hand over his mouth and thought how to proceed next; Terry then carefully assessed the recon photos and recalled the security along the battlements, before he hatched an idea. He then said with a cunning look "Maybe we should do something about the hidden laser grid in the foyer first… And I might know where the Power Source is located."


	21. Italian or Scottish

Master of Thieves

Chapter 20: Italian or Scottish

The small group of thieves were scouting the vacant hamlet from the hill near the Cave Hideout, hidden from sight under a thick bear pelt that Slaigh stole from a scamming Tailor a few months ago. Terry, Sly and Bentley were looking through their respective Binocu-Coms, with photos of their girlfriends (in Bentley's case, ex-girlfriend) attached to the corner. Sly then curled his mouth in distaste and noted "Nah, I don't see any hints of where the hidden power source is… Do either of you guys have any better luck?" Bentley replied as Sly lowered his Binocu-Com "Well, if we're talking about energy that can handle the equipment from the Recon Photos, I doubt that it would be inside the lake or directly underneath the Castle's Cellar."

Bentley curled his mouth in concern, unsure where the generators would be hidden, before he and Sly glanced at Terry for his opinion. Terry then said after lowering his Binocu-Com "Knowing villains and secret rooms from various media, I'm fairly positive that Drake wouldn't have hidden in either the Inn or the Village Head's home. And since that high tech equipment would likely to be either rusted or shorted-out near wet surfaces, I can conclude that it would be under a hidden bit of flooring in… that little cottage right there." Bentley, Sly and Slaigh looked at the cottage Terry had pointed out: Like the rest of the buildings in the hamlet, it was wood panelled in the exterior with a stone smoke stack on the roof, but it has the most Security Traffic from the Security Drones. Further proof that it holds something important for Drake came a few seconds later when a Light Guard came out and guarded the front door.

Bentley then thought of a fairly successful idea and explained to the 3 raccoons "I have an idea: We could take out the guard and find the secret trapdoor or hidden wall piece that leads underground, before destroying the generators." Terry then replied unsurely "Uhh… Or one of us can disguise as a guard, convince him to take a break, find the secret passage to the hidden generator room and latch a remote EMP bomb in the ideal centre of the most amount of power usage." Bentley, Sly and Slaigh looked at Terry with puzzled looks on their faces, though the latter sighed unamused.

He then pointed out "If we knock out the guard, there's a good chance that a Security Drone would discover him and alert Drake. Also, if we just destroy the generators, that would give a good excuse to inflict harm, if not more, to the hostages." The others looked at each other and thought Terry made some strong and most likely points. Although they don't have any clothing that would be close to represent the guard's outfit, Terry might have something useful in his bag in the Hideout.

Minutes later, Terry came out of the Hideout, hidden in a massive fur coat that Pearl gave him, with Muggshot's Family Trinket attached to the Coat's Hem. He admits, he didn't think a local born and raised in Texas, U.S.A. would own a fur coat THIS thick, but at least it definitely keeps the cold out, even in the dead of the night. Since both Sly and his Ancestors are well known to Drake and Bentley's… condition would make him suspicious, it was up to Terry to get the job done. Also, since Sly's Italian 'accent' would be a dead giveaway, Terry would need to do the convincing since he can do a Scottish 'accent', but he decided not to do it in front of Slaigh since he doesn't want to offend him.

As he approached the stationary guard, the latter said in the natural Scottish accent "'Ey there! What are ye doing, laddie?" Terry then replied in an improvised, yet accurate Scottish accent "Ah, just thought ye' wanted a small break, ya' friendly piece of lamb." The guard leered at Terry suspiciously and asked "I don't recognise ye', little lad… Why would ye want a big un' like me teh take a breather?" Terry then pulled out a pack of almond biscuits from his pocket and replied "I doubt a big un' like yer would so much as take a lunch break… Don't fret, big lad, I won't put this in the daily report." He then handed the biscuits to the guard, who took it with a gentle smile and gestured his head at the cottage, letting him pass.

As the guard leaned on the corner, Terry went inside and saw a perfectly cut square just in front of the extinguished fireplace. As he opened it, he saw a metal rung just visible from the clouded light coming from the window, before he climbed down the hole down about 3 storeys and jumped down the last 3 rungs onto the wet, rocky floor. Aside from a minor splash from a puddle he just landed on, he also heard the familiar hum of the generator motor running, but it was 3 unionised hums instead of one. He then cautiously approached the noise, before he saw 3 small, but powerful energy generators connected to a ceiling mounted connector, which the wiring leads into a small hole in the wall that leads to the castle.

Terry then looked around the small, cavernous room and saw no signs, even vaguely, of any security inside. He then turned on the earpiece of the Binocu-Com and said to Bentley through his Binocu-Com "Bentley, I'm at the generators and I'm about to plant the Remote EMP Bomb. Do you copy?" He didn't hear a verbal response in the earpiece, just blank static; unamused, he tuned to Sly's Binocu-Com, but there was static too. He then had a thought and tuned to Carmelita's Binocu-Com, calling it and said "Carmelita, can you hear me?" Carmelita's voice then replied "Terry? I can hear you clearly, but what's going on?" Terry updated Carmelita on what transpired when he and Bentley arrived in Scotland in a reasonable amount of detail so Carmelita won't be confused.

After being given an update, Carmelita let out a relieved sigh and noted "Well, thank you again for helping get Sly back. I can imagine it would be cold in 14th century Scotland." Terry then remarked "Believe me, if you were here right now, you DEFINITELY need a heck of a fur coat. Listen Carmelita, I somehow can't connect to either Sly's or Bentley's BinocuComs… Maybe since I am deep underground, the signal is really… weak, to put it mildly. Do you think you can patch through them with the Hideout's Time Transmitter?" Carmelita, although Terry didn't see it, nodded in confirmation, before she linked the Transmitter to Sly's BinocuCom.

At first, she thought she got the wrong Connection, but a few moments of surprise turned to realisation when she heard Sly, Slaigh and Bentley laughing out loud. She then overheard Sly, who didn't realise that his BinocuCom was linked to the Time Transmitter "Okay, I won't deny that my _Italian Accent_ is bad, but that Scottish Accent Terry made is… Okay, not bad to be honest, but it's still funny!" Sly then continued laughing, when Slaigh noted "Lad… If that kind'a imitation would ever offend me, then it's more laughable than that poofy piece of cloth!"

Carmelita heard loud pounding in the receiver, which she assumed that Slaigh is pounding the cave floor with his fists in fits of laughter. She then heard Terry's voice from his BinocuCom in an unamused tone "You know what? How about some radio silence?" Carmelita then replied "Sounds good." She then turned off the link to both BinocuCom's, as Terry closed his eyes and made a sigh, before he placed the Remote EMP Bomb and turned back and headed out of the cottage.

When he left through the front door, he told the guard in a Scottish Accent "A'ight, big laddie. Yer shift is back on, so I'll leave ye to yer job." The guard then tilted his bilby cap curtly at Terry with a gentle smile, before the latter thought to head back to the Hideout first. He then gave it a second thought and felt a little hurt that Sly, Bentley and Slaigh laughed at his Scottish Accent impression, so he instead turned to the cliff face and Wall Shimmied to the lookout facing Loch Ness.


	22. A Gentle Ally

Master of Thieves

Chapter 21: A Friendly Beast

**Gameplay Warning**

Back in the Hideout, Sly, Bentley and Slaigh were laughing to the point that Bentley fell off his wheelchair, but they were laughing too hard to even care. Eventually, the laughter died down, albeit slowly, before Sly took the initiative to grab his BinocuCom and contact Terry. He then puts on the earpiece and said "Hey Terry, did you place the Remote EMP Bomb yet?" He wore a pleasing grin as he waited for a reply, but he didn't hear Terry's BinocuCom click. He then tried to contact Terry again as Slaigh helped Bentley back into his wheelchair, but he still didn't get a response.

Sly then began to feel concerned and contacted the Time Transmitter back in Present Day, when Carmelita's voice said "Sly?! Sly, is that you, Ringtail?" Sly then quipped with a soft grin "You've just reached the hot thief hotline; if you need some flirty chit-chat, please stay on the line." Carmelita made a soft chuckle at Sly's quip, when she shedded some hot tears with her paw over her mouth. She then said with welling tears "Oh Sly, I missed your quips… I just wish you could come back right now…" Sly then wore an empathetic expression as he began to tore up some hot tears too and replied sadly "I wish the same thing with every waking moment… Hell, sometime I even wonder if ANY of this was really happening and I could just wake up in your bed in the morning."

Sly then heard Carmelita made a hard sob over the line as he wiped away the tears, knowing that the both of them are having a hard time in the current circumstances. Sly then cleared his throat and said with misty eyes "Anyway, Carmelita, can I ask you something?" Carmelita then replied with a sniff "Yeah, ringtail. What is it?" Sly then took a deep breath and asked "Has Terry called in yet? He must've planted the EMP by now…" There were a few moments of awkward silence, since Carmelita was contacted by Terry not a minute ago. She then made a sigh and replied "Yeah… Thing is…"

Meanwhile, Terry is moping on the outlook overlooking Loch Ness since he and Carmelita overheard Sly, Bentley and Slaigh laughing about his Scottish Accent and he doesn't take teasing lightly. He then rubbed his face and under his nose, looking down at the lake as he thought at how the kids in his school tease him at how scrawny he was. He then thought to himself as he followed the shore line from the right "_Still, I'd like to see any of them witness this view: Beautiful mist along the lake's surface, a gentle cold breeze, Nessie being wrangled by small guards, cloudy sky beyond the mountain range…_" Terry then widened his eyes at the second last thing he described and looked down to see, much to his astonishment, Nessie itself, but was being wrangled to shore by roughly 20 small guards with triple braided lassos.

He then contacted the others and said "Guys… Can you read me?" Sly then replied almost immediately "TERRY! Oh, thank goodness you answered man; I swear, me, Bentley and Slaigh didn't know…" Terry then cut Sly off by informing him "Nessie's being wrangled by some guards at the lake's edge." There were some moments of silence at the sudden update, when Terry puts on his BinocuCom and sent a feed to the others to view what is happening. Murray then exclaimed "HOLY MACKEREL! Nessie is real… I can't believe it!" Sly then replied "Yeah, but she's currently in trouble right now… We've got to help her." Terry then checked the area where the guards are to find something to help free the gentle beast from its impending imprisonment.

Bentley then noted "First of all, Nessie is a male. Second, even if we do, those guards would notify Drake the moment they spot us!" Murray and Bentley then got into an argument over Nessie's gender as Terry, in a suspected notion, scanned up the cliff face feet from the guards and saw a boulder lodged in a small crevasse, but looks like one good hit would dislodge it onto the guards. With a cunning smile, Terry told Bentley "Bentley, I have an idea on how to free Nessie without the use of physical contact… There's a boulder lodged in a crevasse above the guards, but a good strike could dislodge it. Got anything that would help?" Bentley, though Terry wasn't present, rubbed his chin for a solution, before he snapped his fingers and wheeled out of the cave hideout.

He then replied "Well, as it happens, I have something for this kind of job. I've taken the liberty of making a drone than can handle miniature, but powerful explosives, dropped from a hatch in the underside." Bentley then turned on his Holo-Computer and activated the drone from his Binocu-Com, which was hovering in front of him automatically. Seeing that the wet weather would disorient the drone's auto pilot, Bentley decided to pilot it manually from the Holo-Screen. Terry then asked Bentley "If you don't mind me asking, how do you pilot a drone anyway?" Bentley then replied as he ascended the drone at a higher altitude "Oh, it couldn't be easier… The Left Stick moves it in any direction, both the L1 and R1 buttons makes it ascend while the L2 and R2 triggers makes it descend. The X button gives it a little boost, while the O button activates the drone's unique ability: In this case, it drops miniaturised bombs that, despite their size, dish out a good amount of damage." Terry nodded with a smile and noted "Okay, let's see the E-MAD work its magic… This is going to be cool."

Bentley made a grin, sharing Terry's excitement over the explosive result, as he piloted the E-MAD over to the boulder. He then saw that the boulder was wedged in a very small crevasse, but it wasn't properly secured and was admittedly surprised it hadn't fallen off sooner. He then said "Bombs Away…" before dropping a Micro-Bomb onto the crevasse, which exploded and moved the boulder down the cliff before taking down 16 of the guards unfortunate enough to be in its path. The other 4, knowing that their objective to capture Nessie failed, fled into the hills to avoid fatal punishment from Drake.

Terry then witnessed Nessie flailing its neck to remove the rope, but the knots proved to be difficult to do so. Feeling bad for the poor creature, Terry stood up and ran to the edge with R1 and initiated a Swan Dive with the X button, landing into the chilly waters of Loch Ness. As Bentley, Sly and Slaigh rushed down to where Nessie is, they saw Terry emerge onto the water's surface and swam to the shoreline near Nessie. As he got out of the water and shook the water off like a hound, the other came to the area, still amazed to see the Loch Ness Monster right before them. Nessie was still trying to take the rope off its neck, when Terry took off his fur coat and slowly approached the majestic beast so he wouldn't spook. Nessie then looked at him in suspicion, when Terry said softly "I'm not like those fools that tried to take you… I just… need to take the rope from your neck. I can see that you don't want to be caged, so I want to help you… if you would let me…" Nessie glanced at him from the corner of its eye, before looking down at the rope and lowered its head, agreeing to Terry's help.

He then slowly undid the first knot, muttering under his breath "You poor thing… Being wrangled like a cattle drive, I wouldn't wish that on anyone… except for Drake, he can be hogtied and drowned into the bottom of the lake for all I 'care'." Nessie growled questionably at Terry with surprised eyes, before Terry shook his head and added as he proceeded to the second knot "The one who planned to cage you… He's hell bent on killing my cousin, but oddly enough not his ancestors. Guess it'd be better not to do a repeat of a failed plan, really…" Sly then crossed his arms and replied "Well, in a way, at least he's being merciful if he's only targeting ME and not my ancestors." Terry shrugged as he undid the second knot; as he went to the third rope, he wondered where the knot is, when Nessie raised its head a little and revealed the third knot, but it was already undone.

Terry then threw the rope aside and gently stroked Nessie's neck, which had marks from the rope that tried to entrap it, when it made a gentle, passive growl and smiled with its eyes closed. Bentley then took a photo of Nessie taking a gentle pat from Terry, before Terry gave it an affectionate scratch under its chin, making it shrill happily. It then raised its head and went under the water surface into the depths of Loch Ness, but everyone else were still satisfied to make contact with Nessie.

Terry then cleared his throat and told the others "The EMP has been placed… Though in order to get the civilians, if any, out of the cellar, we need to ensure about the patrols and any alternative exits so they won't come out into the courtyard." Bentley then adjusted his glasses, before he had an idea and gestured the rest of them to follow him.


	23. Micro Reconnaissance

Master of Thieves

Chapter 22: Micro Reconnaissance

**Gameplay Warning**

After being given a detailed explanation by Bentley on their next task, Terry and Sly left the hideout and traversed their way to the castle walls, before climbing up to the battlements and ran along the tightrope to where the foyer is. Seeing that the two Sniper Guards are still stationed on the upper level, Sly said as he puts on his modified Binocu-Com "Well, time to put the Miniature Intel Drone to action… Help me out, Terry, how can I control a ground-based drone?" Terry then looked at the instructions on his Binocu-Com and read aloud as Sly took manual control of the drone "More or less the same as an Aerial Drone… The Left Stick moves the drone, both the L1 and R1 buttons sends a pulse to give an update on the area the drone's currently in, the L2 trigger can switch the camera between normal vision, night vision, heat vision and blind vision." Sly then raised his brow, which Terry did the same thing in slight puzzlement at this new addition.

Terry then shook his head and continued as Sly moved the MID to the floor of the Foyer "The R2 trigger switches the drone between movement mode and camera mode, the X button makes it jump as high as a step of a staircase and the Right Stick controls the Third-Person Camera." Sly then nodded, before he looked through the MID's movement camera and moved it to the cellar doors, where he saw something pale between the crack between the double doors. Sly then asked Terry "Hey Terry, I might guess what I'm seeing here, but what do you think they are?" Terry then borrowed Sly's Binocu-Com and looked through the MID's camera to see something pale, but saw something odd about it. Just to be sure, Terry asked Sly to zoom the camera a little, which he did so, before Terry saw through the zoomed in camera a pair of metallic bars under the Cellar Door.

Terry gritted his teeth uncomfortably and noted as he gave Sly his Binocu-Com back "Damn… If I have to guess, Drake put in an electronic lock that only HE can disable, so even if we disable the front gates in the courtyard, the cellar doors will still be an obstacle." Sly then looked through the MID's camera again and asked as he scanned for another way in for the drone "You've planted the EMP, shouldn't that be enough?" Terry then pointed out "Knowing Drake and a few levels from Splinter Cell games, he most likely has a backup generator in another part of the castle he frequents just for the Electronic Locks." Sly pursed his lips and his brows furrowed a little as he saw a crack in the wall by the right side of the Cellar Doors.

He then said as he moved the drone to the crack, thankful for its Enamel Paint "I don't suppose there's any chance you brought a Splinter Cell game with you when you arrived in Paris?" Terry then pointed out "Dude, I arrived in Paris to meet/help you, not take turns as Sam Fisher. Besides, even if I could, my uncle owned the original, Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory, Double Agent, Conviction and Blacklist, which he keeps them under lock and key, so fat chance I'm afraid." Sly let out a low whistle as he saw a hole rodents use to travel in the walls, before he maneuvered the MID into the hole, which leads into the Cellar proper. He then looked stunned when he saw the villagers and royal family caged behind bars as if they were criminals, with the princess looking like Pearl, even though hadn't met her before, and one of the villagers looking like Muggshot.

Sly then said through the earpiece to Bentley "Bentley, I found the prisoners… They're right where Terry said they were, caged behind bars like criminals." Bentley then replied through the transceiver "_We WILL get them out, but in order to do so, you'll have to take some Recon Photos. Activate the MID's camera mode and I'll walk you through the controls._" Sly nodded, before he switched to the drone's Camera mode, which showed a deep blue screen with wire frames of points of interest.

Sly then said through the earpiece "Talk to me Bentley, how do I work this thing?" Bentley then replied matter-of-factly, as though he done this thousands of times "_The controls are similar to the MID's movement mode: The Left Stick moves the drone around, the right stick moves the camera around, both the L1 and R1 buttons sends a pulse to give an update on the area and the L2 trigger switches it back to Movement Mode._" Sly then moved the camera around a little and saw a hidden electronic lock behind a fake portion of the Cellar's wall. Bentley then continued "_Now, unlike Movement Mode, tapping the R2 trigger zooms in the camera up to three times, with the fourth tap returning it to normal focus. If you hold down the X button, you can scan points of interest to receive intel about the scanned item; also, if you click the R3 button, or press the Right Stick, you can take a photo if there's no option to scan a point of interest. Try scanning the Electronic Lock hidden in the wall and take some photos of the imprisoned villagers, the Cellar Doors and that pipe next to the stairs leading to the foyer._"

Sly nodded, before he focused the drone's camera onto the hidden Electronic Lock and scanned it, before the details was brought up on-screen. Bentley then made a thoughtful hum and noted "_From the looks of it, even if the backup generator was active, the EMP would fry the circuits on that electronic lock, rendering it damaged beyond repair. We might be able to get the villagers out yet…_" Sly then switched to movement mode and took snapshots of the imprisoned villagers and royal family, before moving the MID to the stairs and took a photo of the Cellars Doors locked tight by 2 metallic bars. He then went to the drain pipe and saw that it looked big enough for a remote Smoke Bomb to fit in, before taking a photo and sending the pictures to Bentley and Terry.

Feeling it would be best to retrieve the MID back now, Sly moved the drone back the way it came, pleased that its spherical body had a passive function that enables it to travel up a wall and even go across water, which he admits it's rather awesome. As he moved the MID across the foyer, Bentley said through the transceiver "_Well, from what I gathered, it looks like the only visitor into the Cellar proper is Drake and, even though the locks on the cell are rusted, the villagers are terrified of being caught by their jailor. It'll take a bit, but I think I might come up with a plan to disrupt Drake's impending plan, so I'll need you two to return to the hideout now._" Sly and Terry nodded, when the former held the MID in his glove and puts it in its docking station before putting away his Binocu-Com.

Terry then said after he lowered his Binocu-Com and followed Sly back to the hideout "Man, what were the odds that Muggshot's and Pearl's Scottish ancestor were in the same place?" Sly then inquired as they climbed back down the cliff face "Honestly, I didn't know that the Scottish princess was your girlfriend's ancestor until you pointed it out just now. If I may ask, where did your girlfriend came from?" Terry then replied as they Wall Shimmied "She's born and raised in a ranch over in Texas, but she moved to Paris since the ranch life wasn't remotely in her interest."

Sly nodded as they went into the cave and entered Slaigh's hideout, which the owner gave Terry a painful slap on the back, who gritted his teeth and hopped up and down in bone-crushing pain. Slaigh then said after making a hearty laugh "Glad teh see ye two laddies are in one piece! Once we free the villagers and royal famileh from their cells, we can take the fight to the pile of haggis who caused this ruckus!" Terry then replied after reconfiguring his spine again "Yeah, just don't underestimate Scaley, Slaigh. When me and Sly fought him back in Egypt, I managed to knock him out as we dived towards the pyramid and did some 'sky surfing' down towards the side of the Giza Pyramid, with the board being Drake himself." Bentley then assessed the photos carefully, when the Time Transmitter got an incoming call from the Parisian Hideout.

Deciding to let Bentley focus on building a plan, Terry answered the call by tapping on the crystal and saw on the holo-vid, much to his and Sly's surprise, Pearl calling him. She then said in her natural accent "Hey, my athletic Tumbleweed! I take this is your cousin, the famous master thief Sly Cooper?" Terry wordlessly nodded at Pearl, still surprised that she was somehow in the Parisian Hideout without any trouble. Sly then cleared his throat and said "Wait, so you're Pearl that Terry here mentioned? I mean, I'm not against the idea, but I had no idea you're attractive too." Carmelita then suddenly popped on the holo-vid angrily and said in slight fury "I HEARD THAT!"

Sly widened his eyes in a 'I'm dead' expression, knowing that ticking Carmelita off is the LAST thing he ever wants to do. Fortunately, Pearl pointed out to Carmelita "Whoa, hold on there, Wildfire… I'm already seeing your boyfriend's cousin, so I ain't filching your boyfriend, no matter how many honeyed words come from his pie-hole." Sly and Bentley led out a short snicker at the slang Pearl threw at Carmelita, though Terry puts his paws in his pockets with a gentle smile at his Girlfriend's preferrance to use diplomacy.

Slaigh then gave Terry another slap on the back, with a loud snap on impact, before Terry said with a slight painful grin and a flat tone "Ow…" Sly and Carmelita shook their heads at Terry's response to another painful 'pat' on the back by the former's Scottish Ancestor, though Pearl was fairly impressed with Slaigh's strength. She then said in amusement "Hooeee! Big fella, you've got as much strength as a pickup hauling ceramic blocks in the back!" Slaigh looked at Pearl while blinking twice without changing his expression and said "What?" Terry replied as he reconfigured his spine "She said you're generally a burly individual appreciatively." He then twisted his body with a loud *SNAP!*, which echoed in the room, before letting out a relieved sigh.

They then heard another snap, but it was a softer note, before they turned their attention to Bentley and he said "I believe I have come up with a plan… Here's how it goes…"


End file.
